Fire and Ice
by Chibi Ruka
Summary: Amon is a hunter that hunts the hunters. After a tragic event in his past, he has started a personal war against SOLOMON, but he won't be able to do it alone. AU
1. Slow Chemical

**Fire and Ice**

By RobinxAmon

Rated R

Warnings: Violence, crude language

Disclaimer - Witch Hunter Robin, Robin, Amon, and all related characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai, not me. The only things that belong to me are Roland and the plot. I'm not making any money off of this, and it is solely for personal use for entertainment purposes.

---

**Chapter One - Slow Chemical**

The alley was narrow and deserted, but for one solitary figure. It was completely dark except for the sliver of moonlight shining feebly from behind heavy clouds. The air smelled of recent rain, and the clouds, barely visible in the darkness of the night sky, seemed to threaten more. The lone man walked slowly, hands in the deep pockets of his black overcoat. His head was bowed, his jet-black hair hanging in front of his face.

Without warning or any indication as to why, the man stopped. This man was a hunter, but not in the way SOLOMON defined it. SOLOMON was a vast worldwide organization that worked closely with the governments of the world, as well as being closely tied to the Church. They hunted witches, people with supernatural powers. Amon was in opposition to them. He hunted their hunters, without mercy or regret, utilizing the powers that classified people as witches against them. No one within the organization knew why he did it. In fact, there was only one person besides him that understood his motives.

SOLOMON had quickly seen him as a threat. They had laboured diligently to eliminate his threat, but that had only proven to provide him with more targets. One by one, Amon had defeated the hunters they had sent to kill him. After losing five hunters in this manner, they had decided to stop. What SOLOMON didn't realize was that they were only delaying the inevitable. One way or another, Amon would continue coldly killing their hunters. It had just been more convenient for him when they were sending them to him rather than having to find them himself.

Amon looked up from where he stood. The sound of someone approaching filled his ears. Slowly, deliberately, he took one gloved hand out of his pocket, reaching into his jacket, and retrieving a long-barreled silver gun. Along the barrel, protection wards were carved. They offered the weapon some protection against the Craft, that is, the powers utilized by witches.

He opened the chamber, checking to make sure it was loaded. A single bullet lay inside. It was large, larger than a bullet typically used for that size of gun. The casing was brass, and like the barrel of his gun, was covered in wards. They were specialized witch hunting bullets that were normally used by SOLOMON hunters. They were especially effective in Amon's case, because he only hunted hunters that were Craft users.

Nodding in satisfaction, he closed the chamber of his gun and held it loosely at his side. He was certain that the man that was now approaching him was the one he was looking for, but he wanted to be absolutely sure. He didn't want to be pointing his gun at an innocent bystander.

The man stopped about twenty feet away from the hunter. Amon was reminded of shootouts in old American Western films. His experience with them was admittedly very limited, but the imagery still stood. The only difference was that it was midnight, not high noon, and his weapon was already drawn.

The man standing before him was short, about a head shorter than Amon. He had a scraggly gray beard and he looked every bit the grizzled veteran that the information Amon had gotten about him said he was.

"You're Amon." It wasn't a question. Amon merely nodded at the hunter's assessment. "Never thought I'd be facing off with _you_." His voice was gravelly, speaking of far too many years of smoking. He stood with his hands held loosely at his sides. He appeared almost casual. Of course, from what Amon understood, he had earned the right to that sort of attitude by being a very skilled hunter. Nearly 500 witches had met their end because of this man. He shook his head. "What they would say if I could bring you in," he said wistfully.

Amon's lips curved into a very slight smirk. "Do you think you can succeed where many before you have failed?" he questioned, sounding somewhat amused. He carefully sized the man up. Like many witches, he was a telekinetic Craft user. When Amon was much younger and far more inexperienced, he had been under the impression that telekinetic Craft users were weak. That was until he was shown forcibly that they weren't. After that, he had learned not to underestimate _any_ Craft.

The old man smirked. "Well, since I'm here, I might as well try, huh?" With that said, he gave Amon an experimental _push_. To the hunter, it was obvious that he was checking to see if he had any way to protect himself against him using his powers directly on him. Seeing that Amon didn't he grinned, and gave him a _shove._

Amon grunted as he was thrown into a cluster of metal trash cans. His breath was momentarily knocked out of him, but other than that he was unharmed. He would have wondered what the hunter had hoped to accomplish by that, had he not suddenly realized that he was no longer holding his gun. In fact, it was sitting only a few feet away from him.

He knew the hunter was hoping to bate him into diving for it. He'd then proceed to taunt him by either tossing him around, or moving the gun so he would fall flat on his face. Amon wasn't falling for it. He stood up, brushing the dust and dirt from his clothes. The hunter held out his hand and the gun flew to it.

Amon simply watched as he examined it, nodding here and there. Finally he said, "This is a very impressive weapon." Amon remained silent as the hunter ran his finger over the barrel, feeling the wards carven into it. "You carved these wards yourself?" he asked. Amon merely nodded. "This is a pretty specialized weapon," the hunter commented as he opened the chamber. Amon almost smirked when his eyes widened at what he saw. He removed the bullet from the chamber, holding it between his thumb and forefinger and bringing it in front of his eyes to get a better look. "Now where could you have gotten _this?"_

"I have resources," Amon replied.

The hunter put the bullet back in the gun and closed the chamber. "I see that you're every bit the professional we've been told you are," he said, slightly awed. Amon didn't say anything in response to that. He didn't need to be told he was a professional. He knew it, plain and simple.

"Are you going to stand here and ramble on all night?" Amon asked.

The hunter laughed. It sounded more like the bark of a dog. "You're right. We should end this." The smile promptly left his face. He suddenly looked very serious, and very dangerous.

Amon suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his head. His hands flew up to clutch his head as he fell to his knees. The pain was excruciating, like someone had suddenly stabbed his brain with a sharp, pointy object. Blood began trickling from his nose. He knew what the hunter was doing. He was attacking his brain with his telekinetic powers. Not very many telekinetic Craft users were capable of that kind of control.

H struggled to stand, closing his eyes and searching for the center of his Craft, roaring and howling within him with arctic wind. It was very difficult to concentrate. He brought his hands down holding them to his sides, palms facing outward. Ice spikes formed around him. He felt his head throbbing with the combined pain from the attack, and the concentration it took. He held his hands up, almost like he was pointing at the hunter. The ice spikes flew toward him. Amon felt the pain in his head begin to lessen as the Hunter's eyes flew open. He had no time to erect any kind of defenses before he was impaled by four very large icicles. His eyes were wide open in shock as he fell backward with the force of the impact. He landed with a thud. The gun clattered to the ground, released by the hunter's opened hand.

Amon casually walked over, picked up his gun, and left, paying no mind to the bleeding corpse of the now dead hunter.

---

Amon entered the darkened hotel room, flicking on the lights as he closed the door behind him. He shrugged out of his overcoat and hung it up before heading to the bathroom. He turned on the light and examined his reflection in the mirror. The blood had trekked from his nose, down to his chin, and had dripped onto his shirt. He turned on the water, wetting a washcloth. He squeezed some of the water out before dabbing at the blood on his face to clean it off.

He had to admit that he had gotten a little cocky. Then again, he had reason to be cocky. He was a master hunter. Not even the master hunters of SOLOMON were any match for him. At least, he hadn't found a master hunter of SOLOMON that was a match for him. He dabbed at the blood on his shirt with the washcloth, knowing it wouldn't help anything, since it was already mostly dried. He sighed. It wasn't like that was his only shirt.

He took the shirt off as he walked into the room itself, turning the bathroom light out as he went. He threw the garment on the immaculately made queen-sized bed, which faced a chest of drawers, upon which rested a TV. Amon didn't really care about that. Now wearing the long- sleeved black shirt that he wore under his Chinese-style shirt, he headed over to the table where he had set up his laptop. He sat down heavily in the chair at the table and flipped it open, booting it up. He checked his e-mail. For an unpublicised address, he got a lot of spam, much of which was porn. He found the e-mail he was looking for under the subject 'Click here to enlarge your penis.' Amon rolled his eyes. He was not amused by his brother's often perverse sense of humour. He opened the e-mail, only to find that all that was written was _Call me._

He grabbed his cell phone and commanded, _"Niisan."_ The phone automatically dialed his older brother's phone number.

Nagira answered on the second ring. "That you, _Otouto?_" he asked. Amon heard him exhale and assumed he was smoking. Then again, when _wasn't_ Nagira smoking? He was always smoking like a fucking chimney. In fact, Amon was surprised he hadn't already died of lung cancer or something.

"Yeah," he replied.

"You went on a hunt tonight, _ne_?" Nagira inquired. How the hell did he know how to push all the wrong buttons? Not only did he know _how_, he enjoyed doing so. It was like he enjoyed getting Amon all riled up. The only thing that annoyed him more than his brother was hunters that got close to killing him.

"Yeah," Amon replied, trying not to betray his displeasure at the question. That would be giving Nagira what he wanted.

"Well, how'd it go?" Nagira asked jovially.

"Fine," Amon ground out. He didn't say anything else about it, but he knew his brother had picked up on his frustration.

"C'mon, _Otouto._ You like bragging about your victories," Nagira goaded with a laugh. Amon scowled. He didn't care that his older brother couldn't see it.

"I do not," he said flatly. "I know you didn't want to just talk about the hunt. Did you find something?" Nagira merely laughed again, and Amon wondered if he would continue to try to press him for details about the hunt.

"Fine, fine. I can see you don't want to talk about it," Nagira said good-naturedly. "In response to your question, yes, I did find something. Unfortunately, the info is sketchy." He paused as if considering something. "Okay, more like non-existent."

Amon quirked a brow. It wasn't very often that Nagira's contacts couldn't get him detailed, solid information about their leads. "Tell me what you _do_ know," Amon said.

"The hunter will be coming to Japan within the next week. Word in the Walled City is that STN's local branch there lost one of their agents. Apparently, the hunter will be the replacement." Amon could hear papers shuffling in the background. Nagira must have been checking his information.

"What about Craft?" Amon asked. He knew his brother wouldn't bother calling him unless the hunter was a Craft user. Amon's usual targets were male hunters around the ages of 40-60. Some would think that SOLOMON wouldn't employ such aged hunters, but the advantage with them was that they were extremely loyal to the organization by then, having been recruited in adolescence, and at that age, using their Craft was like second nature to them.

"Fire Craft," Nagira replied after a moment. "Heh. That directly opposes your Craft," he said, as if Amon didn't know that fire opposes ice.

"Not that it really matters. I don't use my Craft on hunts," Amon reminded his brother.

"Self defense might be an issue though, _Otouto_. Don't you think fire would burn right through any defenses you could put up?"

"That doesn't matter," Amon said. He had other methods of protecting himself. "What other information do you have?" he asked in order to get his brother back on track. He leaned in his chair and grabbed for his cigarettes. Listening to his brother smoke made him want to. He lit up while he waited for his brother to look through his information.

"Well, we don't know the hunter's age or gender," Nagira started. "I guess it's from SOLOMON headquarters. Pretty good from the look of it, although I can't say I've got a rap sheet or how many witches the hunter killed."

"What class?" Amon asked as he blew out his own lungfull of smoke.

"I dunno. I'd estimate around A-class or S-class. I know you're looking for master hunters, but maybe the mystery hunter who offed your mom isn't a master hunter now and wasn't then," he said off-handedly. Amon didn't like how casually he treated it.

"I guess not," he said.

"You want me to make travel arrangements?" his brother asked.

Amon considered it for a little while. Whether or not the hunter was in his usual target area, he had to admit that he was intrigued. The least he could do was check it out. "Yeah. Get the earliest flight possible."

"And a hotel room with a single bed and a fast car. Don't worry, _Otouto._ I think I know how you like to travel by now. Should I meet you at the airport?" his brother asked, exhaling heavily again.

"Yeah. Try to find out more before I arrive."

"Will do," Nagira said. They both hung up without saying goodbye. Amon leaned back in his chair, rubbing idly at his clean-shaven chin while exhaling a small cloud of smoke through his nostrils. His brother was the one that handled his travel arrangements, mostly because he didn't mind, and Amon did.

Nagira was also the only person that Amon socialized with . . . the only person he allowed himself to depend on. He would have preferred not to need to depend on _anyone_, but that just wasn't possible. Anyway, if he _had_ to depend on someone, it might as well be his older brother. He was the only person other than Amon himself that knew why he had began hunting SOLOMON hunters. He looked at his little printer, seeing that his travel papers were being printed out. He didn't bother to wait for them to finish.

He stood up and moved over to the bed, sitting on the end of it and pulling his boots off, followed by his socks. He stood up and pulled off his slacks, followed by his shirt. He grabbed his pajama bottoms and putting them on. Now ready for bed, he turned off the lights before laying down in bed, pulling the blankets over himself, and settling against the soft hotel pillows. He fell asleep almost instantly.

---

Amon awoke early. The sun had just barely began to rise. He sat up in bed, yawning and glancing at his watch. It was five after five a.m. He threw the blankets back and got out of bed, heading to the bathroom. His flight left at six-thirty, which would give him plenty of time to shower and get some breakfast.

He flipped on the bathroom light and undressed before turning the water on as hot as it would go and climbing into the shower. When he saw that it was sufficiently scalding, he stood under it as it drenched his hair and ran down his body. Like many people, he did much of his thinking in the shower. Right now, his thoughts were on the mysterious hunter being sent to Japan. He could already tell that the hunter was not within his normal target area, but he was going to check it out anyway. He wondered what intrigued him so much about this mysterious fire Craft user. Was it the fact that elemental Craft users seemed rather rare? What did he expect to find? He couldn't answer his questions.

He took some time to wash his hair, using the little bottle of shampoo left for him by the hotel. He didn't bother buying his own because ever hotel he stayed at gave it to him for free. He also took some time to wash himself with the hotel soap. He ran it down his arms and chest, scrubbing until he was clean. He rinsed himself off, turned off the water, and got out of the shower. Amon dried himself off with the fluffy white towel also provided by the hotel, and despite the fact that he was alone, he wrapped it around his waste before going back into the room.

He dressed and decided that he would go out for breakfast instead of calling room service. He'd pick something up on the way to return his rental car. He packed up his laptop and clothes that were still laying around, deciding that he'd launder them after he got to Japan. Once he gathered his things, he left the room. Soon he would be leaving Paris for Tokyo. It would be a long flight, but he was used to them.

He went out to his car, parked in the hotel's parking garage, and sped off to McDonald's. After he had eaten, he would go drop the car off at the rental place and take a shuttle to the airport. By that time, he would have enough time to get through security and board his plane.

---

**Author's Notes_ - _**I keep saying that I'm not going to do any revisions before the end of NanNoWriMo, only to watch my resolve on the matter completely dissolve. Anyway, this should be better than the first version. I decided to try being more descriptive and to try showing the reader what they were seeing rather than telling. I'm hoping this endeavor will help me to become a better writer. Anyway, as always, reviews are appreciated. They're great inspiration. I must give a nod to Meris Ann, who is definitely one of my favorite fanfiction authors of all time. I had been rereading her fic, 'Barflies,' and her wonderful descriptions made me decide to try improving mine


	2. All Around the World

**Chapter Two - All Around the World**

Amon arrived at Narita Airport after an eleven hour flight. He was glad his brother had booked him a first-class ticket, especially because the flight was non-stop from Paris to Narita Airport outside of Tokyo. The flight had been an easy one. They had only hit turbulent air twice, so Amon had been able to stretch his legs and walk around as he saw fit.

He was feeling tired because he hadn't gotten much sleep during the flight. Only a couple hours' worth, because his dreams kept haunting him. Impaired as he was, it was difficult navigating the sprawling airport. As it was, he managed to find the passport desk and got his documents cleared. He then headed for baggage claim, where Nagira said he would meet him.

His brother's big white fur coat was unmistakable. He scowled, suspecting that his brother had worn it simply because he knew how much Amon hated it. He walked up to Nagira. "Why do you insist on wearing that ridiculous coat?" he asked. Nagira turned around and grinned at him.

Amon was by no means a small man, but his older brother, Nagira, was taller than him by half a head. "It's comfortable," he said in response to his brother's question. Underneath the furry white coat in question, he was wearing an expensive forest green suit, a khaki colored shirt with the top button undone, and shiny black Italian leather shoes. One could tell just by looking at him that he was a lawyer, and a pretty successful one at that. "Glad to see you too," he said, pulling Amon into a bear hug. When he released him, Amon didn't look amused. "Heh. Lighten up, _Otouto._ You'll die young."

Amon didn't reply as he found the carousel that his luggage was supposed to be coming around on. When he spotted his bag, he scooped it up. "You seem more unbearably cheerful than usual," Amon commented as he and his brother headed for the exit. Nagira shrugged easily.

Once they were outside, the lawyer fished inside his jacket for his cigarettes. "If I'm going to die from tension, you'll die of cancer," Amon pointed out as his brother lit up. Nagira laughed.

"Good one," he said. He offered the cigarettes to his brother, and Amon took one. "I took the liberty of picking up your car for you," he said as he lead Amon toward the parking garage.

"How thoughtful," Amon said dryly.

"If I'm more unbearably cheerful than usual, you're more sarcastic than usual. You must be in a pretty good mood," Nagira pointed out. Amon merely grunted in response. "Aw, c'mon, an eleven hour flight isn't _that_ bad," Nagira chuckled.

He located the car he was looking for, a sleek black BMW M5. "You wanted a fast car," he said, handing the keys to Amon. "They don't get much faster than this outside the formula one circuit." Amon nodded approvingly.

The brothers got into the car. Amon spent some time adjusting his seat, mirrors, and steering wheel until they were perfect. He put the key in the ignition and started the car. It roared to life.

"Nice, huh?" Nagira said from the passenger's seat.

"It'll do," Amon said. Nagira noted the shadow of a smile on his brother's face. The car sped out from the parking garage. Nagira held onto his seat.

"Hey...this is a parking lot, _Otouto_, not the freeway. What are you trying to do? Get us killed?" Nagira asked as he held on.

"Maybe," Amon said with a smirk.

Nagira directed Amon to the hotel he would be staying at. It was a pretty nice one within Tokyo. Amon had a pretty good view of the Tokyo tower from his room. "Nice view," Nagira commented from the window. He was holding the curtain back. He turned around and sat in the chair at the table.

"I suppose you want to get down to business," Nagira said, grabbing the ashtray and getting out his sixth cigarette. Amon simply nodded. "Well, I found out a little more than we knew last night. I don't know if you'll regret having flown all the way here from Paris," he said as he pulled some folded up papers out of his coat. He unfolded them and read them over.

"Her name is Sena Robin. As you already know, she was sent here from SOLOMON headquarters in Italy. Apparently, she grew up there, but she was born here in Japan." He looked up at his younger brother, who had seated himself on the bed.

"What else?" Amon asked.

"She's fifteen years old," Nagira replied. "Apparently, she's pretty good though. She's an A- Class, and I'd imagine that's only because she hasn't had any experience in the field." He shook his head and tossed the papers to his brother. "A little out of your target range though."

Amon scanned the papers. "I may still check her out," he said after a moment of reading.

"Why? She's fucking fifteen, _Otouto_. There's no way in hell she could be the hunter that killed you mother. Unless she did it when she was a toddler." Amon glared at Nagira. "What? It's true. What's the point? Are you going to kill a fifteen year old girl just because she's on the wrong side and might not even know it?"

Amon put the papers down on the bed, still glaring at his older brother. "I didn't say I would kill her, I said I would check her out," he stated.

"Same difference," Nagira said, flicking the ashes accumulating at the end of his cigarette into the ashtray. "What are you going to 'check out?' Are you going to try to get her to join you or something? You and I both know that you work alone." He sighed, deciding to drop it. "She's supposed to get here in three days, provided that the information is correct. Don't hold me to it. I can't guarantee up to date information."

"In other words, she could be arriving today for all we know," Amon stated, picking up the papers again.

"That's about the size of it," Nagira agreed. "When she _does_ arrive, whenever that will be, you can find her at STN-J's headquarters, Raven's Flat. We can drive down there later if you want." Amon nodded. "As for where she's staying, I don't have that information yet. Could be with one of the members of STN-J, or she could be getting her own apartment for all we know.

"It's unlikely that she will be staying with any of her teammates. SOLOMON generally discourages its hunters from associating with one another outside of work." Nagira looked at him quizzically. "It's taboo," Amon said. "Do you have any information about STN-J?" he asked.

"Not very much, but I did do a little research, since I figured you'd ask. The Administrator is a guy called Zaizen. The team mostly consists of Seeds. There's only one other Craft user. Her name is Karasuma Miho. She's eighteen and her Craft is scrying, or sensing things by touching objects, people, what have you."

"In other words, there are no other concrete leads in Japan," Amon surmised. Nagira nodded. "Beautiful."

"Not my fault you decided to come before we had gotten more information," his brother said, holding his hands up in front of him. Amon merely sighed, putting the papers back down on the bed.

"What information do you have about the others?" he asked, referring to the other members of STN-J. Nagira knew what he was talking about.

"The field leader is a guy named Roland. He's a Seed. Apparently, he's a pretty good shot. He got top marks in his hunter training. He's pretty well-rounded, but he specializes in profiling, much like you." Amon nodded. "Then there's Karasuma, and another Seed named Sakaki Haruto. He's pretty green himself. He's only been with STN-J for nine months. The last member is Doujima Yurika. Apparently, her parents are pretty high up in the hierarchy of SOLOMON."

"In other words, they got her the position," Amon said. His brother nodded.

"Why don't we drive down to Raven's Flat," Nagira suggested. "There's a little place across the street called Harry's. It's supposed to be pretty good. Worth checking out at least."

Amon nodded.

---

Raven's Flat was a tall building that was distinctly gothic in design. It was brick and stone with gabled windows that had beautiful ironwork. It was surrounded by a wrought iron fence, which were complete with little spikes at the top. The thing Amon found most unique about the building was the clock at the top.

He had parked the car where it couldn't be seen from the premises, but where he could still observe the building. Nagira was seated in the passenger seat, flicking the ashes from his cigarette out the window. He had blatantly ignored the no smoking sticker on the window. Amon didn't care.

He watched people walk by the building, but no one entered or exited. Nagira watched his brother. He knew his number one rule was "know thy enemy." He spent days, sometimes even weeks, stalking his prey and finding out everything about them. Nagira thought it was a bit obsessive, but it seemed effective. Amon had never lost a target.

"Are you just going to sit here for a few hours?" he asked. Amon looked at him.

"Yes. Why?" he asked.

"In that case, do me a favor and take me back to my office. Kana-chan will be the first to tell you that I've got a shitload of work to deal with," his older brother said casually as he flicked the butt of his cigarette out the window.

"Since when have you cared about work?" Amon asked, sounding somewhat amused.

"A comedian, eh?" Nagira laughed. "I just got better things to do than sitting out here all day." Nagira brought out his cigarettes and fished a fresh one from the pack. "You're the hunter, not me," he said after lighting up and taking a fairly long drag.

Amon sighed. "I suppose I could take you back to your office," he said, starting up the engine. He pulled away from the curb. He failed to notice the green taxicab stopping in front of Raven's Flat.

---

The door of the cab opened of its own accord, startling its young passenger. Having not been a native of Japan, she was still quite unused to doors that opened by themselves. She turned around in her seat, swinging both legs out of the car and maneuvering her voluminous skirts before and standing. She turned around to get her luggage, and once she and her belongings were out of the car, it drove off. She compared her paper to the plate outside the wrought-iron gate. "Raven's Flat," she said softly. She was in the right place.

Her name was Sena Robin. She was fifteen years old, and had been sent by SOLOMON headquarters in Italy to replace a recently deceased member of STN-J. From what she understood, this hunter had been killed during a hunt. Robin lowered her sheet of paper and picked up her single suitcase, opening the gate and heading into the building.

---

Amon had dropped his older brother off at his office. When he got back, he decided he could stake out Raven's Flat any time. It would be better if he could find out where Robin was supposed to stay, and if she was to have a roommate, who it would be. He walked into Harry's, walking down the long hallway and finally into the dining room itself. It was deserted. None of the candles on the tables were lit.

The barkeep looked up when Amon took a seat at the bar. He gave him a friendly smile and put down the glass he was drying. He immediately went to serve his customer. "Is there something I can get for you?" the master of the establishment asked.

"Sake," Amon requested. He hadn't been in Japan for a very long time. At least three or four years. After all, SOLOMON rarely sent the important hunters there, even though with such a large population, the chances of powerful witches was increased. His brother had told him about the Walled City, which he said was some kind of sanctuary for witches.

Tenchou poured Amon his drink and set it before him. "Would you like the bottle?" he asked. Amon merely nodded. Tenchou put the bottle beside the cup.

Amon drank his sake in a single gulp. He hadn't had it for a while, which was why he was drinking it now. He normally wasn't very big on drinking, but he was fond of the rice wine. Tenchou seemed to be watching him as he drank.

"I haven't seen you before," he observed. By the size of the establishment, and the kind of neighborhood it was in, Amon figured that he must know a great deal of his customers.

"I'm in Japan on business," Amon said. Normally, he wasn't very talkative. There was something about Tenchou that said he could talk to him.

Tenchou folded his arms over his torso, bringing one hand up to idly cup his chin. "I see," he said. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask." With that, he went to the other end of the bar and picked up the cup he had been drying.

Amon picked up his cup and bottle and opted to take a table. He liked being able to observe things, and at the bar, that wasn't something he could really do. He sat down as a young girl with strawberry hair wearing a black pilgrim's dress entered. She also took a table, but closer to the front. Tenchou hurried to serve her, and Amon simply watched as he downed his third cup of sake.

The girl didn't look especially young. Amon concluded that she had to be in her mid to late teens. She wore the strangest hairstyle he had ever seen. Her hair was pulled into two pigtails at the side of her head, sticking straight out like horns. He watched as Tenchou brought her coffee and heard her say "_Arigatou_" softly. He doubted that he would have been able to hear it at all if his hearing wasn't so good.

He watched her daintily drink her coffee. Her posture and the way she drank her coffee spoke volumes to him. She was very self-disciplined. Her manner of dress was extremely modest, almost nun-like. He would come to the conclusion that she had grown up under the influence of the church.

Coffee. Italy. The girl defiantly didn't look Japanese. He might be jumping to conclusions, but in many cases, a background in the church might mean involvement in SOLOMON. Nagira said this Sena Robin was fifteen, which fit what Amon was seeing. She definitely wasn't Japanese, and his brother had said she was being sent from Italy, and Italians were known for their love of espresso.

He watched as Tenchou served her. She ate her food politely. Amon noted that she was eating Italian food. He closed his eyes. His brother's information _had_ been old. There was nothing he could do about it now. He simply leaned back and drank his sake, watching Robin, but averting his gaze when she looked up. She didn't seem to take heed of him.

After she had finished eating, Tenchou took her food. Amon heard her request an espresso. Tenchou nodded and took the plate behind the bar. Amon watched him disappear into the back. He returned a moment later with the espresso. "Here you go," he said, as he put the small espresso cup and saucer before her. "An espresso, right?"

"Thank you," Robin replied. Her voice was soft. She picked up the cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. He stood, holding his silver serving tray to his side, his face resting in his hand, and watched her as she drank.

"Isn't it bitter?" he inquired.

The girl smiled. "Not really. I have a habit of drinking it after meals," she explained.

"You lived abroad, didn't you?" he asked. There were subtle hints in her mannerisms that told him such, but he wanted to make conversation with the mysterious girl.

"Though I think I was born in Japan, I don't remember much else," she replied. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap as she spoke with him.

"I see," he replied. "This café isn't much, but please, make yourself at home," he invited.

"I will," she said, turning her attention back to her espresso as he moved off. He looked back at her with a small smile.

Amon could hardly believe this girl was a hunter. She seemed far too demure and gentle. He supposed he could be surprised. She might be deceptively strong. He watched her finish her meal. She stood and retrieved some money from her purse and put it on the table.

"Thank you for the meal," she said to Tenchou as she left.

"Italian dining," he noted as she approached him. "May I ask you your name?" he inquired. She regarded him before answering.

"Robin. Sena Robin," she replied, confirming that which Amon already knew.

Tenchou smiled kindly. "Robin-chan, eh?" he asked. He asked her how long she would be staying, to which she replied that it wasn't up to her, but it would surely be a while. "If it isn't too much trouble, will you come back?"

She gave him a very slight nod. "Yes, later," she told him. With that, he watched her leave. He looked back, and it wasn't until then that Amon noticed with him that all the candles had been lit. He hadn't even noticed.

He waited until she had gotten outside before paying for his drink and following her. He didn't say anything to Tenchou, but he heard the owner of the establishment thanking him for his patronage as he left.

---

The trio arrived at a warehouse. It was after dark, but the parking lot was well-lit. Zaizen and Doujima led Robin to the entrance. The trio went inside, and Robin immediately saw a ring or ward of some kind written on the ground in sand. "Ogham's Circle . . ." She trailed off as she approached it. "The runes of Hagal's Eight . . . but it's not right." She got down on her hands an knees and began sniffing it.

Doujima stepped forward. "What's she–"Zaizen put a hand on her shoulder, holding the blonde girl back.

"Why don't we let her show us?" The Administrator asked, looking at his subordinate. Doujima looked at him in return. "Let's see how a Craft user works in her natural element," he suggested, watching as Robin rearranged the circle, adding to it and expanding on it. When the young hunter was finished, she stood up and brushed off the front of her dress.

Doujima and Zaizen stayed where they were as she sought out the other hunters, who were apparently engaged with the witch.

When she arrived, she saw a man who was sprawled on the floor get hit by a heavy-looking cart, which was sent at him by the witch, who was standing in the corner. The cart landed a few feet away from her. She paid it no heed as she walked around it to confront the witch.

The witch, startled by her appearance, tried to attack her, but she quickly blocked his telekinetic attack with her fire shield.

"_Nani?!"_ The witch was startled. The people who were attacking him were pretty helpless against his attacks...but not this one. Robin regarded him with her green eyes before sending her flames to the ground in front of him, forcing him to take a step back.

The man on the floor looked up at her. _"Nanai?_ A Craft user...the replacement." Robin regarded him for a moment before returning her attention to the witch. She stepped closer to him.

"Your Ogham's Circle was written in Sig. This is my field." She sent her flame behind him, effectively trapping him between two walls of fire. The man on the floor stood up, pointing his gun at the witch and firing three times. The other guy, one that Robin hadn't noticed, also stood and started firing. It took several shots before the witch went down. The flames died as the other guy, the one with sandy brown hair approached the witch and began scanning him with some kind of device. The older man, the one with the dark brown hair and goatee approached them.

"Brainwave distortion level is below the red line," he reported, looking up at him. "Michael, you can let the Factory guys in." He looked up at Robin and smiled at her. "You're the replacement, huh?" he asked.

Robin regarded him curiously. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Sakaki looked down at the witch, but someone else responded. "Unlike Headquarters, we capture witches instead of killing them. Sounds pretty humane, huh?" This was a woman. She was dressed smartly in a business suit with a black overcoat.

"Good job, people," the man with the goatee said. Robin looked at him. "You're the new replacement, huh? Good. We'll finally be able to get back to full strength. My name is Roland. Why don't we get back to Raven's Flat, and I'll introduce you to the rest of the team," he suggested. He put a hand on Robin's shoulder and guided her toward the exit, followed by the other members of STN-J. None of them noticed the man watching them from the shadows.

Amon had to admit that he was impressed. Robin's looks were very deceiving, but she had just proven that she was not only a capable hunter, but also efficient. He had to wonder why she hadn't just fried the witch to a crisp if she hadn't known about STN-J's policy of not killing witches.

He would have a few things to discuss with his brother. Once he was sure the hunters had gone, he went out to his car, which he had parked discreetly, about a block away from the warehouse. He didn't need anyone getting suspicious.

He opened the driver's side door and slid into his seat. He watched as three cars drove away from the warehouse, headed back to Raven's Flat, he assumed. He started his own car and turned on the headlights. He pulled away from the curb and drove toward his brother's office. He knew Nagira would be there. He practically lived there. One would think he didn't have his own apartment, but Amon knew he did.

He pulled up in front of Nagira Law Office, and as he expected, saw that the light was still on upstairs. He turned off the engine and went up to his brother's office.

He also wasn't surprised that Nagira was the only one there. He was leaning back in his chair, feet on his desk, gazing at the smoke hanging over his head, a cigarette in his mouth. When Amon walked in, he looked at him. "I was expecting you," Nagira said with a grin.

"I'm sure you were," Amon said as his brother swung his feet off his desk and sat up straight in his chair. The dark-haired hunter sat down in the chair across from Nagira. "Do you have any more information?" he asked.

Nagira looked thoughtful for a moment. He took his cigarette out of his mouth long enough to exhale a large puff of smoke. "I don't have much more for you, _Otouto_. Keep in mind that it's difficult to get into the SOLOMON database, and even more so without getting caught. My contacts are working as fast as they can without leaving anything behind for SOLOMON to find."

"I learned something interesting," Amon said as his brother offered him a cigarette. "I _do_ have my own, you know," he said irately as he took one and allowed Nagira to light it for him.

"So you do, but you should be glad that I'm letting you waste mine." He leaned back in his chair, watching his brother. "So what did you learn that's so interesting?" he asked, intrigued.

"STN-J doesn't kill their targets." He leaned back in his own chair, watching Nagira's reaction. The older man looked thoughtful.

"Huh. Now that _is_ an interesting bit of information. So what, they capture them and send them off somewhere to be detained? Like some kind of life sentence in prison for being a witch?" He shook his head. "Something about that doesn't quite sound right."

Amon nodded. "It's not really my concern though," he said.

"Yeah, hunters are your concern...but don't you think it's strange? Something's not jiving with me about this." He exhaled another puff of smoke.

"I admit that it sounds very strange and something doesn't feel right about it, but I'm not a detective, nor am I a self-righteous vigilante. You can try to find information to your heart's desire, but I can guarantee you that I'm not going to get involved with it," Amon stated.

"Yeah, yeah. I know it's not your deal," Nagira said, shaking his head. "Anyway, I got a little information about Robin's background, and a bit about her training. She's a pretty high-ranked hunter, but it looks like STN-J is her first assignment outside of headquarters, and she may not have participated in any hunts."

"Until tonight," Amon finished.

"Why are you so fucking interested in her, _Outoto? _She's outside your normal area too." Nagira leaned forward to pass his brother the papers before leaning back in his chair again and putting his feet back on his desk. He watched Amon.

"I don't know," Amon admitted. "There's something about her. When I saw her at Harry's, I decided that I wanted to find out more about her." He shook his head. "I don't know what it is," he said.

"This is really unlike you, you know," Nagira stated. "You're usually so fixated on finding the guy that murdered your mom. You never deviate. What makes this kid so special? She _is_ a kid, mind you." Amon was glaring at him. "Just because you don't know her circumstances? Is that it? Is it because it's possible that she might be like you?"

"I don't fucking know," Amon replied evenly. It seemed strange to Nagira that most people would raise their voice and yell when they got angry. Amon seemed to speak more calmly. Nagira reminded himself then that his brother didn't allow his emotions to get the better of him. Ever. Maybe it was because his Craft often reacted to his emotional state.

"Anyway," Nagira said, letting his brother glare. "I'll try to get more information, but I can't guarantee anything. I'll even try to find out if she's here just as a replacement, or if she has some hidden purpose. STN-J seems to be largely ignored by SOLOMON. I don't know why they suddenly decided that they give a shit."

Amon nodded and stood up. "I'll stop by tomorrow morning," he said.

"Sure," Nagira replied as his brother stood. Amon put his cigarette out in Nagira's overflowing ashtray. The lawyer watched as he turned around and left the office. He leaned back, cigarette dangling from his mouth. He brought his arms up behind his head, resting it there. He just chuckled as he heard the roar of the M5's engine as the car took off.

After he had gone, Nagira noted a thin coating of frost on the desk where Amon had put his hand. He shook his head, wondering if that had been intentional or not.

---

**Japanese**

Arigatou - Thank you

Nani - What

Otouto - Little brother

Niisan - Big brother

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to those who have reviewed for their kind words. I really appreciate each and every review I receive, and they help me get that extra drive and desire to write more. I think this chapter is much better since I revised it. I even added more to it (mwahaha...more for you to read). As always, please let me know what you think. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated as well.


	3. Shot Down in Flames

**Chapter Three - Shot Down in Flames**

It had been three days since Amon had arrived in Japan. The time that was not spent stalking Robin, eating, or sleeping was spent at Harry's. Sometimes, he would end up eating or stalking Robin there. As it was, he sat with his customary bottle of sake, sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant. He usually sat there, watching as people came and went. Usually, the people that came or went were the members of the STN-J. Amon might not have even known they were from STN-J if his brother hadn't managed to procure some pictures of them. Currently, Amon was the only customer. He sat with his forearms resting on the table, both hands cupping his little sake cup, which was dwarfed by them. He simply stared into the clear liquid.

Amon and Tenchou were on friendly terms, but they rarely talked about anything more than the weather. The hunter refused to talk about his work with anyone other than his brother. Beside that, he didn't know if he could trust Tenchou, and for Amon, trust was a very large issue. Since he was a witch, he didn't need Tenchou informing the STN-J about his presence. It was risky enough just being here all the time. One of them was sure to notice him eventually and become suspicious of his presence.

He looked up when Roland entered. The field leader of the STN-J had his black overcoat draped over his arm. He was wearing a pair of black dress slacks, a black shirt, and a silver tie. Everything about him seemed to speak of order. His hair, while long, was pulled back into a neat ponytail. He wore a goatee, neatly trimmed. To Amon, he seemed like the kind of guy that organized everything. He probably had his clothes sorted by color and his socks neatly knotted.

Roland draped his coat over the back of a chair at the bar and sank into it heavily with a sigh. Tenchou immediately came to serve him. Roland spoke with Tenchou softly in accented Japanese. Amon could tell that he was fluent, but Japanese obviously wasn't his first language. Tenchou put a glass in front of him and poured something into it. Roland nodded appreciatively.

As Amon watched him, he wondered what kind of hunter he was. He was probably meticulous in both planning and execution. He would assign each of his hunters a task and expect them to do what he had assigned them. There was no doubt in Amon's mind that Roland would be a formidable opponent for just about any witch, but most especially the inexperienced ones.

If Roland had noticed that Amon was staring at him, he didn't show it. He simply sat in his chair at the bar, slowly downing his drink. _Long day_, Amon thought.

He redirected his gaze when Nagira strode in. He wasn't wearing that ridiculous coat of his, for which Amon was silently grateful. He nodded to Tenchou, who gave him a small smile and nodded in return, before he joined his brother at the table.

"Thought I might find you here," he said as he sat down. He already had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Amon could tell it had been recently lit. Nagira took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew smoke out. "Tenchou isn't a bad source of information, you know," Nagira said, looking back toward the barman. "He sees and hears a lot."

Amon scowled. "It might have been nice if you had told me," he muttered.

Nagira laughed. "I didn't think you'd end up spending so much time here," he said casually, leaning back in his chair comfortably as Tenchou brought him a drink. "Thanks," he said. Tenchou nodded and returned to the bar. "I spend a fair amount of time here, just not recently," he said.

"I see," Amon replied. He drank down the sake in his cup. "There isn't much I can do during the day, so I end up here, running up my tab," he said dryly. Nagira chuckled. Amon shook his head. "I've been able to find out a lot about her." He dropped his voice so as not to be overheard by Roland.

Nagira shook his head. "So you're still bent on confronting her?" he questioned. Amon merely nodded. His older brother sighed, deciding not to say anything. Amon had made up his mind, and there was nothing he was going to be able to say to make him change it. Instead, he drank his drink, downing half of it in a single gulp.

Amon observed Roland standing and waving to Tenchou. He then left the restaurant, leaving Amon and Nagira alone with the barman. Tenchou was attending to dirty dishes.

"You've been stalking her, huh?" Nagira said out of the blue. Amon nodded. "So you're hanging out here because she hasn't gone home yet," he surmised.

"She comes here sometimes, before or after work," he explained, pouring himself some more sake from his bottle. Nagira nodded. The brothers spent some time catching up, with Nagira complaining that Amon hadn't come by since he stormed out of his office two days ago. They talked until Robin showed up.

"Well, I'll leave you to your work," Nagira said, finishing his drink. He put the glass on the table along with some money and left the restaurant jovially. Robin had seated herself at the bar and Tenchou had brought her some espresso. Now she was talking to him softly. Since he was all the way in the back of the room, he couldn't hear exactly what she was saying.

He put his cup down and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and bringing his hands up to his face. It didn't particularly matter to him that he couldn't hear what she was saying. Whenever he saw her talking softly to Tenchou like this, he couldn't help but think that she didn't seem like a hunter. Somehow, it didn't matter that he had seen her in action.

He stood up, putting money for his own drink near Nagira's. Slowly, he left the bar, looking over his shoulder at Robin as he did. As if sensing the weight of his gaze on her, she looked up at him, emerald green eyes meeting steely grey ones. She held his gaze until he had to look away so he wouldn't run into a wall.

He left Harry's, still thinking about the way she held his gaze until the very end. Many people were intimidated by his simple appearance. The fact that she hadn't backed down meant something to him. The corners of his mouth, usually downturned, lifted slightly into a very small, nearly unnoticeable smile.

---

It was nighttime. Amon stood alone on a balcony across from Robin's apartment building was. Right across from her apartment to be more specific. He stood, forearms resting on the brick barrier, gazing at the large windows with their blinds drawn. He stood here on many nights, watching and waiting. Waiting for what, he wasn't sure.

To his surprise, she came out onto the balcony, clad in a simple black T-shirt. Her hair was down, blowing around her face in the breeze. She rose a hand to push it back, leaning on the balcony, gazing into the night. Amon thought Robin looked different with her hair down. She looked more her age. For some reason, he thought she looked a little older when her hair was up, despite such a seemingly childish hair style.

The wind stopped blowing, her hair settling around her face. He also thought she was pretty with her hair down. Not that he didn't think she was pretty with it up. He scolded himself for thinking about that. Robin was fifteen. He had convinced himself that he wasn't attracted to her, and he was going to hold himself to that. His brain was screaming something about him being an old pervert.

She stood there for a long time, gazing into the night, seemingly deep in thought about something. Amon watched her despite the fact that she didn't even move much. He had been stalking her for the past three days, observing her doing everything. He had seen her ride to work on her Vespa, watched her eat at Harry's, and when he could manage, watched her on hunts. The only thing he hadn't done was stoop to the level of watching her through the windows of her apartment, although he did wonder what she did when she wasn't working or at Harry's.

Robin turned and went back inside, closing herself off from his view. He turned around and decided to go back to his room and call it a night.

---

As always, he was greeted by a cold, dark hotel room when he returned. He turned on the light. The bed had been made while he was gone. Everything was as clean as it was every night when he finally returned. He would leave shortly after awakening and showering. He would get breakfast at Harry's, sometimes seeing Robin there as well. She never seemed to eat any breakfast. He didn't know if she ate breakfast at home or if she simply didn't have time to eat anything.

He hung up his coat in the closet adjacent to the door. He didn't bother checking his e-mail. Since he had come to Japan, he and Nagira either conversed in person or spoke to each other on their cell phones. Since Nagira was the only person that sent him e-mail, he knew he wasn't missing anything important. The only downside of not checking his e-mail was that he was sure the spam was piling up. Secretly, Amon suspected that Nagira had been responsible for all the porn advertisements. He shook his head and got ready for bed. He went into the bathroom and splashed his face with water and brushed his teeth. Then he went back into the room, turned off the light, and climbed into bed.

**---**

As a boy, Amon had lived with his mother in a small apartment. His father, he knew, had been a witch. He left them when Amon was only two years old. The boy didn't even remember his father's face. His mother often told him he looked much like his father, but that didn't really help him to know what the man looked like.

His mother was beautiful to him. She was about average height and had long, brown hair and hazel eyes that often sparkled mischievously before she would sneak up on him and attack hug him. Her face often held an easy smile. Amon always thought he looked nothing like her, but she insisted that he had inherited her nose. He used to laugh at that.

While they weren't rich, they weren't really poor either. His mother had a decent job that would pay the bills and put food on the table. Amon hadn't always gotten everything he wanted, but he was really just happy that he had his mother. She would work during the day and be home by the time he got home from school. She would make dinner and they'd eat together, talking about their day. He had been happy then.

On that fateful day, he had been doing his homework at the kitchen table. His mother was washing the dishes, humming to herself. He was content, as he often was. He glanced up at her from his homework, and when she caught him looking at her, she grinned. He grinned in return. That had been his last happy memory.

There was a sound outside the apartment, like people gathering outside. Amon's mother looked up, suddenly worried. Amon looked at her, also becoming worried. "Amon. Go to your room." She turned off the water. He was about to protest, but then he saw the look in her eyes. She looked frightened. He got up and did as his mother told him.

He only heard what happened next. The door was kicked in. He heard gunshots, then men shouting and screaming. Amon opened the door a crack and peeked outside. He could see his mother. Her back was to him. She was breathing heavily. Then he saw a man enter. From his vantage point, he couldn't see the man's face. He looked tall. He walked slowly, deliberately. Amon didn't know what he did, but his mother screamed and fell to the floor.

More men entered the apartment and the man looked to them. "Search the place for the boy," he ordered. Amon shrank into his room, closing the door behind him softly. He had to escape somehow. The men were going to find him. He didn't know what would happen if they did, but he was certain it wouldn't be good.

He desperately looked to the window as he heard footsteps approaching. They killed his mother. If they found him, they would probably kill him too. He went and wrenched the window open. They were on the second storey. He was willing to risk jumping out the window rather than being found. He scrambled out the window, not bothering to try to take anything with him. He was about to drop when the door opened. The men were coming through, holding guns. His eyes widened and he let go.

It hadn't been a gentle landing, that was for sure, but once he recovered his breath, he scrambled to his feet. The men were looking down at him from his bedroom window. He didn't wait around. He ran as fast as he could until his legs were tired and sore. Unable to run anymore, he dropped to his knees. That was when the realization that his mother was really dead hit him. He began to cry. He sobbed so hard that the force of it wracked his body. He trembled violently, curled up upon himself.

He heard someone approaching. His head snapped up and he saw someone that had never been in his dream before. She hadn't been there when it happened, but she was here now. She walked toward him slowly. She was wearing a dark red overcoat over a black pilgrim dress. His brain recognized her instantly. Her hair was drawn into two strange pigtails and she had brilliant green eyes.

She stopped before him and knelt in front of him. Without a word, she drew him to her bosom and held him as he cried. She gently pet his hair and whispered to him soothingly.

---

Amon awoke with a start. Sitting up in bed, he held the blanket to his chest, which heaved as he gasped and panted. He was covered in a cold sweat. He leaned forward putting his face in his hand, feeling tears streaming from his eyes. Amon hadn't cried since the day his mother died.

He wasn't sure how he had found his half-brother. He had known Syunji since he was young. It was almost like his mother had been preparing him in case her worst fear came true. He had just . . . known where to go without even thinking.

Disheveled and all alone, Syunji's mother had known what had happened and took him in. Amon had refused to speak for three months. Syunji was with him the whole time. His older brother had taken care of him. He was the one who had drawn him out of his shell. At first, Amon had refused to eat, but eventually ate if Syunji brought him food.

Eventually, Syunji had drawn him out of his silence and his room. They were inseparable. When Amon's Craft had awakened, Syunji had been there for him. Syunji even helped him learn how to control it. They made it a game. Syunji had even helped him train to become physically stronger. They played football together. They would run. Syunji would help him lift weights.

When Syunji went to law school, he had remained in close contact with his younger brother. When Amon had told him what he wanted to do, Syunji had told him that while he didn't approve of it (or think it was very smart), he would help him in any way he could.

These days, Amon tended not to think about how influential his brother had become in his life. He couldn't deny that he loved his older brother. They were still close, even having gone their separate ways. It was something that Amon rarely thought about or even admitted to himself.

Amon got out of bed and padded to the bathroom. He took off his pajama pants. Covered in sweat as he was, he felt disgusting, so he showered. Once he had finished, he put on a pair of slacks and went over to the chair at the table by the window. He pulled the curtain back and sat down, grabbing his cigarettes and taking one out. He lit it and stared out the window.

What he wanted to know was why Robin had appeared in his dream. Did she really remind him so much of his mother. His eyebrows knitted together and he frowned as he smoked and gazed out the window. What's more was that he had really felt comforted by dream-Robin holding him against her, whispering to him softly.

"What the hell am I getting myself into?" he wondered aloud. He wanted to know why he was so fixated on her. He felt inexplicably drawn to her, and it bothered him greatly. He sighed heavily, exhaling smoke as he did. He sat alone in the darkness of his room, thinking, wondering what Robin's dreams were like. He hoped they were more pleasant than his dreams.

When the sun rose, he was still sitting there by the window. He was on his fourth cigarette. He smashed the butt in the ashtray and stood. He silently put his long-sleeved black shirt on, not bothering with the shirt he normally wore over it. Once he was dressed, he left his room and went to Harry's.

He was surprised the little restaurant was open so early. He saw Tenchou at the counter as always. The barman looked up upon his entry and smiled. "Don't you think it's a bit early for sake, Amon-san?" he asked.

"Yeah," Amon replied as he sat down at the bar.

"Would you like some breakfast perhaps?" Tenchou asked.

"Yeah," Amon replied. "I don't really care what," he said before Tenchou asked. The tall man nodded and disappeared into the back. He didn't even notice when Karasuma Miho entered. She sat a few seats away from him, not even really paying him any mind. She didn't have any reason to after all.

Tenchou came out and set Amon's breakfast of miso soup, rice, grilled fish, and green tea before him."_Itadakimasu_." Amon remembered his Japanese table manners enough that he held his rice bowl as he ate his rice and drank his soup. When he was finished, he placed his chopsticks on the chopstick holder and rearranged his dishes to how they were laid out when Tenchou brought them to him. "_Gochisosama deshita," _he said.

Tenchou cleared away his dishes. Amon sat there for a while, thinking, before getting up to take a walk.

---

Robin rode home slowly. She was tired. They had a hunt that day, and the witch had nearly gotten away because Sakaki had lost him. Fortunately, she and Roland had found him. Now all she wanted to do was eat something quickly and sleep. Lately, she hadn't been getting much sleep because Roland would either call her in the middle of the night or early in the morning. These days, she was often so exhausted upon getting home that she wouldn't even make it to her room. She would just collapse on the couch and sleep there. She didn't think Touko liked it when she did that.

She finally got to her apartment building, and once she parked her Vespa, she went inside and rode the elevator up to her floor, leaning heavily on the wall. When the door opened, she exited and went over to check the mail. She was surprised to see that there was mail there, and then she remembered that Touko would be gone for a couple of days. She took the mail and headed to her apartment. The prospect of a bath and sleep were very appealing to her.

She took out her key and went to unlock the door, when she saw that it was slightly ajar. She put her key back in her pocket. Touko was gone. She was certain of this. Slowly, cautiously, she opened the door. Touko's shoes weren't present. Robin slowly put the mail in the umbrella stand between her and Touko's umbrellas and cautiously stepped farther into the apartment, feeling apprehensive.

The apartment was completely dark, save for the sliver of light coming from the hallway outside the open door. Robin didn't bother turning on lights as she went farther inside. Although her eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness, if there was an intruder, it would be harder to see her in the dark, even if his or her eyes _had_ adjusted to the darkness.

She entered the living room and saw the silhouette of a man against the windows. He was rather tall and had a broad build. Other than that, she couldn't make anything out. He was standing casually, hand in his pockets. Her eyes widened as four large icicles formed around him and suddenly flew toward her. She narrowed her eyes and her fire shield came into existence.

"A witch?" she whispered to herself. He attacked again and again, his icicles dissolving against her shield. It felt like the temperature in the room had dropped.

"I'm a hostile witch," a deep, male's voice said, piercing the silence. "Why don't you retaliate?"

Robin's eyes widened. "Who are you?" she asked, straining her eyes to make out more details.

"Answer my question," he replied.

"I . . . I'm not the type that attacks first and asks questions later," Robin replied, bewildered. The man chuckled. It sounded rather cold to her. She shivered involuntarily.

"Isn't it obvious that if I attack you, I mean you harm?" he asked.

Robin wondered if he was toying with her, asking her these questions. "Not . . . necessarily," she said uncertainly.

The man stepped forward and drew something out of his pocket. Robin tensed up until she saw a flame sprout from it. She relaxed. It was a lighter. He held it up so the flame illuminated his face. She gasped. "You're that man from Harry's," she realized. He nodded. "Why are you attacking me?" she questioned.

He didn't answer. Instead, he flipped the cap of his lighter over the flame, extinguishing it. "I have to say that it's nice to finally meet you face to face," he commented casually.

Robin blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Why don't you turn on a light? I won't harm you," he suggested evasively. Robin slowly moved to the light switch and flipped it, illuminating the room. She saw him standing with his hands at his sides. He must have been trying to look non-threatening. Robin didn't make a move to get closer to him.

"I have been watching you," he said in response to her question.

"Y-you have?" she stammered. Amon nodded. "Why?" she asked.

"I had originally come to hunt you," Amon replied honestly.

"You're from SOLOMON?" she asked, shocked. Amon shook his head in response. "Then...who are you?" she asked. "I've noticed you at Harry's. You always seem to be there when I am," she said.

"That's a coincidence," he said with a small chuckle. "I am a hunter, but I don't work for SOLOMON. I oppose them," he stated in response to her question.

"You oppose SOLOMON?" she asked, as if the very thought were unthinkable.

Amon nodded. "SOLOMON isn't what it appears to be," he said. "Maybe someday you'll come to realize that."

Robin seemed to consider something for a moment. "If you haven't come to hunt me...why are you here?" she asked.

Amon tilted his head. "You intrigue me," he admitted. She blinked. "You're not like any hunter I've ever met," he elaborated. "You...don't enjoy your job, do you?" he inquired.

Robin ducked her head. "Not particularly," she admitted. She looked back up at him. "How did you know?" she asked.

"I can tell," he said. "During your first hunt, you tried to incapacitate the witch instead of trying to kill him, even though you didn't know that STN-J captures their targets," he stated.

Robin took a step back. "How did you know about that?" she breathed.

"I was there," Amon said simply. "I saw it with my own eyes. You may not have seen me, but I was at Harry's that night too. I followed you to the warehouse and went in after you had passed with Zaizen and Doujima," he said.

"You...you know all about us," she said, getting nervous again.

"Yes," Amon said. "I have good informants. I know all about you, and a little about STN-J. I haven't really tried to get information about them." He shook his head. "How do a bunch of Seeds and a Craft user with a non-offensive Craft manage to fight witches without killing them?" he asked.

"Orbo," Robin replied simply. "I don't know exactly what it is, but it nullifies their Craft," she told him.

"I see. That sounds very useful," he said.

"You know so much about STN-J, but you didn't know about that?" Robin asked.

"Like I said, I didn't try to find out everything." He looked away from her for a moment, seemingly intrigued by the television. He then turned back to face her, finding her in exactly the same position she was in when he turned his head. She seemed to have relaxed a little. "You wanted to know why I decided not to hunt you," he stated.

"Yes," Robin replied.

"I want you to join me," he said. "I normally work alone . . . have been since I started, but this task of mine is large . . . too large for a single man to take on alone," he said.

Robin looked at him skeptically. "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked. Amon smiled inwardly. At the very least, she was smart.

"I don't suppose you can," he replied. "It's up to you to decide if I can be trusted or not."

"What . . . if I decide not to join you?" Robin asked. "Will you hunt me then?" Amon chuckled again. Twice in a row. He hadn't done that for a very long time.

"I wouldn't attempt to blackmail you like that," he replied. "I do have _some_ honor. If you choose not to join me, I will leave you alone. I'll go on with my work. There's no obligation or pressure."

Robin considered that. "But . . . if you oppose SOLOMON, wouldn't you be my enemy?" She sounded genuinely torn.

"I suppose," Amon replied. "Take some time to think about it," he said. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and wrote down his cell phone number. "My name is Amon," he said. "I already know your name, Sena Robin." He handed her the slip of paper. "When you decide, either way, this is how you can contact me."

Robin looked at the number on the slip of paper, then looked up at him.

"Robin," he said. "I have a feeling that very soon, you may be forced to question your ties with SOLOMON. Call it a hunch. If you have any questions or anything that you would like to talk to me about, call me."

She nodded, somewhat bewildered and watched as he left. This had been a very odd encounter. Now more than ever, she needed a bath. She wanted to think, as she suddenly had a lot to consider.

She went into the bathroom and started running her bath water. She slowly undressed, and once the tub was full, she slid in, feeling the hot water envelope her in its warm embrace. She relaxed, but she couldn't stop thinking about Amon. There was something about him that had felt so familiar to her, like she had known him for a very long time. She slid further into the water, allowing it to encase her. "Amon," she said softly.

**Japanese**

Itadakimasu - I gratefully accept (or let's eat)

Gochisosama deshita - Thank you for the meal

**Cultural Note - **It's good manners to rearrange your dishes the way they were presented in Japan. It's traditional to say "itadakimasu" before eating and "gochisosama deshita" when you've finished. Miso soup and rice are traditionally eaten for breakfast along with something like grilled fish. Really, you can eat just about anything accompanied by miso soup and rice for breakfast.

**Author's Note** - Yeah, Amon's encounter with Robin was rather anti-climatic. Sorry about that. I may try to change it later, but unless I can do it to where I can increase my overall word count, I'm not going to bother until NanNoWriMo is over. It's okay the way it is for now. Hopefully, things will get more exciting later on. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, but constructive criticism is appreciated much more. Tell me if you spot grammar/spelling errors. I might not edit them until later, but knowing they're there is good. (I don't tend to notice because I always try to get what's in my head on the page before I forget.)

I'm going to start answering questions my reviewers asked me here. Who knows? Someone might have asked a question that you wanted to know the answer to as well

black-capped conure - I like this version of chapter 2 much better as well. There were quite a few errors that I caught when I read it again, but this time, I'm not editing until NanNoWriMo is over. I actually changed Robin's class back to A-class because she hadn't gone on any hunts before she was assigned to STN-J. I did "fix" her vision so to speak. I would have kept it, but I didn't want Roland to be the one giving her the glasses. shrug I fear Roland won't get a lot of time in the spotlight, so you won't really learn too much about him. It's a shame, because I think he could be a good character. You're right. He's not Japanese. In fact, he's European. I can't remember exactly what part of Europe I said he came from. For all we know, he could be Italiano. Yeah, Michael is at Raven's Flat. I keep forgetting him ; I guess Nagira didn't think he was very important because he was just the hacker kid XD Thank you very much for your wonderful reviews

vampcrow - Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you like the revised version of the chapter. Haha . . . yeah. Amon has emotions. O.o never would have guessed it. He's not quite as cold as he is in the show I guess. In future chapters, we'll look more at Robin and how she reacts to things as well. This is where Amon will really start changing from the cold bastard we're used to. Thank you again for your reviews. I really appreciate them.


	4. A Question of Time

A/N: Yeah, I don't do author's notes at the beginning of a chapter very often. Chapters one and three have both been revised for quality assurance XD It's just basically wording that's been changed. I changed more in chapter three than just the wording, but I definitely like it better. Sorry to make those who have been following along read all of my revisions ;; this is why I need to look over chapters before I post them. Anyway, I'll have another Q&A for my reviewers at the end of the chapter. This chapter has obviously been named for the Depeche Mode song, A Question of Time. It fits Amon and Robin so well that it's not even funny. Anyway, I've only done half of the lyrics here. If you can find the song, you should definitely listen to it.

**Chapter Four - A Question of Time**

_I've got to get to you first_

_Before they do_

_It's just a question of time_

_Before they lay their hands on you_

_And make you just like the rest_

_I've got to get to you first_

_It's just a question of time_

_Well now you're only fifteen_

_And you look good_

_I'll take you under my wing_

_Somebody should_

_They've persuasive ways_

_And you'll believe what they say_

_It's just a question of time_

_It's running out for you_

_It won't be long until you'll do_

_Exactly what they want you to_

Depeche Mode - A Question of Time

---

"So you're just going to sit here and wait until she tells you whether or not she wants to join you?" Nagira asked. He exhaled the smoke from his cigarette as he emptied his ashtray into the trash can. "Over the last couple of weeks, you've done so many things that just aren't like you." He shook his head and returned the ashtray to the desk. "Asking a kid to work with you being chief among them," he added.

Amon was leaning back in his chair, a glass of whisky in his hand, which his brother had kindly poured for him. He wasn't about to voice some of his thoughts about Robin, and he certainly wasn't going to tell him about the dream. Even though it had been two weeks since he had it, he hadn't forgotten, nor had the memory of it faded.

"Before you go spouting some crap about her being a good asset, might I remind you that before she came to Japan, she hadn't had any experience in the field at all?" Amon didn't answer. "C'mon, _Otouto. _Talk to me, will ya?"

"I don't recall this being any of your business," Amon snapped. Nagira leaned back in his chair, regarding his little brother.

"It very damn well is my business. I'm the one who makes all your arrangements, or did you forget?" Amon remained silent.

"Yes, I'm going to sit here and wait until she tells me whether or not she will join me," Amon said. He took a drink. "My reasons for asking her to join me are none of your business," he elaborated.

"Fair enough," Nagira said after a moment. "Not that it means I don't want to know."

Amon remained silent for a moment. Nagira was becoming convinced that his brother wasn't going to answer him. "I want to get her away from them," he said at last. Nagira was more than a little surprised. "I know that you're going to say I've never cared about anything like that before," Amon said before Nagira could speak. There was a long pause before Amon spoke again. "She's . . . different than anyone I've ever met."

Nagira leaned farther back in his chair, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and taking a drink of his own whisky. "There. Was that so hard to say?" Nagira asked.

"Yes," Amon said. "You are the person I am closest to," he said, watching his brother. "But that doesn't mean that telling you this sort of thing is easy."

Nagira put his drink down on the desk. "I suppose it's been a while since we've talked to each other like brothers," he admitted. "That's more your fault than mine, mind you," he said with a chuckle. Amon smirked and shook his head. "It's also been a while since the two of us have seen each other so frequently. Not since the last time you were in Japan . . . what was it? Five years ago?"

"Something like that," Amon replied, setting his own drink on Nagira's desk. He leaned back in his chair. "Not even I understand fully why I asked her to join me, _Niisan,_" Amon said. Nagira was surprised that _Amon_ had turned the topic back to Robin. "Why the hell does she draw me to her the way that she does?" he asked.

"Who knows?" his brother asked casually. "It's hard to explain things like that, but it's not like you're the first person it ever happened to. For all you know, you two knew each other in a previous life or some shit like that," he said. He stood up and drained the rest of his drink from his cup. "What do you say we get some lunch?" he asked, placing the cup back on his desk. Amon didn't bother to finish his own drink, but he did stand. "It's on me," Nagira added. Amon nodded.

---

Robin had been having a hard time concentrating ever since she had spoken to Amon. She was always thinking about what he had said. _"I have a feeling that very soon, you may be forced to question your ties with SOLOMON. Call it a hunch._" She had in fact, been forced to question her ties with SOLOMON. She had no idea how he could have possibly perceived that. It had happened a week after they had talked. She met the witch called Methuselah who told her some very interesting things that she hadn't told anyone about. She had considered calling Amon and talking to him about it, but honestly, she still wasn't sure she could trust him.

It was late at night, and she was sitting with Roland in his expensive sports car. Her partner was dressed in a black suit with a black shirt and white tie. She didn't know why he always dressed so nicely. Maybe it had something to do with his position. She rested her elbow on the door and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. She stared out into the darkness at the passing cars.

The pair were waiting for Inquisitor Koushon. He was the Inquisitor that had Inquired her prior to her joining SOLOMON. Apparently, he had come to Japan to Inquire a witch to see if he was what SOLOMON was looking for in a new hunter. She stared out the window glumly. This was the last place she wanted to be. It was past five in the morning. She was tired. She wanted to be at home, in bed.

She turned in her seat when she heard Roland open his door. She scrambled to get out of the car as well. She joined Roland at the curb as a black car pulled up. Roland leaned forward and opened the back door. "You must be Inquisitor Koushon," he started. "My name is Roland. I'm from the STN-J. If you'll come with us, we'll show you to your–"He was cut off as Koushon moved to get out. Roland stepped back to allow the Inquisitor to get out of the car. "Allow me to carry your luggage," Roland offered. The aged Inquisitor ignored him.

Koushon looked to the sky. "The air here...is oppressive," he said. Robin gave him a hard look, wondering what he was talking about. She turned her own face skyward, as if trying to see what Koushon was looking at. They went back to Roland's car. Robin got in the passenger seat, and Koushon seated himself in the back seat.

---

Amon was awakened by the ringing of his cell phone. He sat up groggily. _Figures. The one night that I manage to get some peaceful sleep, something else has to wake me up_, he thought. He checked the time on the cell phone's screen. It was after one a.m. He answered. _"Niisan_, you better have a damned good reason for waking me up," he said into the phone.

"A-Amon?" He heard. Inwardly he cursed. He had already forgotten that he had given Robin his cell phone number. It _was_ Robin, and it sounded like she'd been crying.

"Robin. What is it?" he asked, his voice automatically becoming softer. The girl didn't respond immediately. Amon almost thought she had lost her nerve and was going to hang up. "What happened? It sounds like you've been crying," he said, trying to urge her into talking.

"I-" she sniffled. "I killed a witch," she said. By the sound of her voice, it seemed like she would burst into tears again. "I had no choice, Amon. I didn't know what else to do!"

"Robin," he said calmly. "Calm down. Breathe." He heard Robin breathing slowly on the other end, trying to exhale slowly. He heard her exhale sharply a couple of times. "Take your time," he said, hoping he sounded reassuring. After a few moments, he said, "Now, tell me what happened."

Robin told him about the Inquisition, that Inquisitor Koushon had decided that Masuda was a threat and ordered her and Roland to hunt him. "We followed him to a park, where some thugs had gained up on him and were beating him up," Robin told him. "He–he killed one of them with his Craft. Roland tried to stop him, but the Orbo bullets couldn't even get near him." She paused. "He attacked Roland." Her voice was trembling, but she managed to remain calm. "Orbo was useless against him. His Craft was too powerful. I–I attacked him, and I killed him, Amon."

Amon understood how Robin felt. He had felt the same way the first time he had taken the life of another human being. In his case, however, it was quite deliberate. "Robin. It sounds like you didn't have a choice," Amon told her.

"I didn't have to kill him!" she exclaimed frantically. "When Inquisitor Koushon left, he said that I had awoken to the pleasure of using my Craft," she said, her voice much quieter.

"That's just SOLOMON trying to frighten you into submission," Amon said carefully. "They don't want their Craft users to become too powerful. "They're afraid that if a Craft user becomes too powerful, they might turn against them, and they would be unable to prevent it."

"Amon . . . what will happen to me?" Robin asked. Her voice was so soft that he could barely hear it.

Amon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, Robin," he said. "I know a lot about SOLOMON, but I don't know how they will react to this." He paused, thinking. "The Inquisition could have been a set-up. Maybe Masuda wasn't really the one they were testing," he said after thinking about it for a while.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"They might have been trying to bate _you_," Amon replied slowly. "SOLOMON's intentions never seem to be what they are on the surface. Perhaps they chose a witch that they knew wouldn't pass the Inquisition to see how you would react in such a situation that you ended up in," he said.

"But why? Why would they do that?" Robin asked, her voice trembling again.

Amon sighed. "Fire is very powerful, Robin. You've seen that you can easily kill someone with it. SOLOMON knows this too. It's not so unusual for them to test their hunters in such a way from what I understand."

"I didn't _want_ to kill him," Robin protested.

"Whether or not you wanted to doesn't matter to them," Amon countered. He stared into the darkness of his room. "This is the organization that has deemed it necessary to eliminate an entire race of people."

"But we only hunt the ones that are dangerous."

"You can interpret dangerous very widely," Amon pointed out. "I honestly don't know what will happen to you," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "SOLOMON may have decided that you've become a threat, and if they have . . . they will hunt you."

"Hunt me?" Robin breathed. There was a long pause on the other end.

Amon couldn't help but wonder where she was sitting as she talked to him, if she was sitting. She might have been pacing around. He thought it was likely considering how uncomfortable and distressed she obviously was. "Have you considered my offer?" he asked.

He heard Robin sigh. "Of course I have," she said. "You were right, Amon. I _was_ forced to question my ties to SOLOMON." She sighed again. "I don't know what to do," she admitted. "What you're doing isn't that much different from what _they're_ doing. The only difference is that you hunt hunters and not witches." She sounded exasperated.

"I have a reason to do what I do," Amon said. "I'm not some champion for witches on some mission to wipe out SOLOMON. That's impossible with only one person against thousands." He shook his head. "I don't hunt every hunter that I come across."

"Why do you do it then?" she asked, her voice very soft.

He didn't know if he wanted to tell her. It was highly personal, and a part of himself that only Syunji knew. _How can you expect her to trust you if you don't trust her?_ His mind taunted. The answer, he knew, was that he couldn't. So he told her everything. He told her how SOLOMON had raided his home, how his mother fought to protect him, and about the faceless hunter that had killed his mother. "At that point, I swore that I would get vengeance," he finished. Robin was completely silent. The only indication that she was still there was the sound of her breathing. He waited for her to say something.

"Amon . . ." she breathed. She was completely awestruck. "I–I had no idea . . . I can't believe they would do that." Amon was silent for a moment.

"Robin, you need to decide on what you will do," he finally said after a long, uncomfortable silence. "Your life may rest on what you decide." He knew it sounded melodramatic, but he also knew it was the truth. "I will do my best to protect you," he said. Robin seemed to be considering his words. He knew he had to win her trust, and he had to do it quickly. It was just a question of time before SOLOMON decided that they needed to get her out of the way.

They hung up not long after that. Amon put his cell phone on the bedside table. He sat in bed, staring into the darkness of the room. He lay back and stared at the ceiling. Why he was so concerned about her, he didn't know, but he found the thought of SOLOMON hunting her disturbing.

---

Roland sat in a chair across from Administrator Zaizen. The administrator had just told him what he had expected to hear. "So it's just like Kate then," he said, shaking his head. SOLOMON had concluded that Robin was becoming too powerful. The death of the witch, Masuda, had proven it.

Zaizen nodded. "Can you do it?" he asked. He steepled his fingers, leaning forward in his chair. "Can you hunt another partner?" he persisted.

Roland leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He had genuinely liked Robin. She was clever and intuitive, but as they say, power corrupts. It's only natural for men to lust after it, and once they obtain it, they become drunk on it. That had happened to Kate, and now it was happening to Robin. He shook his head sadly. "While it will be unfortunate to lose her, I suppose it's the only thing I can do," he finally said.

Zaizen leaned back and nodded. "I leave her hunt in your capable hands then," he said. Roland nodded and Zaizen dismissed him. He stood up and left his superior's office. He stroked his goatee as he went down the hallway. Orchestrating a hunt was never easy, and it was even harder when you were attempting to hunt one of your own.

As he entered the office, he watched Robin as she worked at her station. No one seemed to notice his entrance. He walked across the room and sat down at his own station next to Michael. The hacker's fingers were flying over his keyboard, music blasting directly into his ears via his headphones.

He leaned back in his chair, thinking about how he was going to approach this. He glanced at Robin over his shoulder. He doubted she even knew about SOLOMON's decision to hunt her. He thought it was probably better that way. She didn't need to know that the organization she worked for and trusted had turned against her.

---

"That doesn't sound good for her at all," Nagira said as his brother finished relating to him his conversation with Robin over the phone. He shook his head. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

Amon sighed heavily. "The only thing I can do, _Niisan_. I can't let them kill her." He shook his head. "They probably believe that she enjoys using her Craft. She doesn't want to hurt or kill anyone." He inhaled deeply, sucking in a lungfull of smoke from his cigarette. This was his fourth. Nagira could tell his brother was uneasy. Amon didn't usually smoke this much. That was his job.

"But you can't be around all the time," he pointed out. "Unless Robin can tell you where she will be at any given time. Even if you _could_ be around all the time, you've got to sleep and eat, _Otouto._ I'm surprised you want to protect her at all. For you, it's always been look out for number one."

Amon sighed in frustration, releasing all the smoke he had just inhaled. "Dammit, how many times are you going to remind me that it's not like me to do something like this?" he demanded. Nagira just shrugged.

"Until I feel like stopping," he said. Amon glared at him, his gray eyes flashing dangerously. Nagira wasn't bothered by it. He could safely say he was the only person in the world that wasn't intimidated by Amon's icy glares.

Amon sighed. "I'm sure the first thing they would try to do is get her alone during a hunt and try to do it then."

"Perfect, the one aspect of her life that you don't know much about," Nagira quipped. "The only thing you can do there is try and have her tell you where her hunts will be. What happens if you arrange that, but she gets caught?"

"I don't know. What I _do_ know is that her time is running out. I don't think that inquisition had anything to do with finding a new hunter. I think they sent the Inquisitor to spy on her," Amon replied.

"Speaking of spying . . . I found something out a while ago. I was right. There was another reason she had been sent to Japan," Nagira said. Amon fixed him with a stare. "She was sent here to retrieve something called the 'Arcanum of the Craft.' There was a stir a couple of weeks ago in the Walled City. One of my contacts there told me that an old witch called 'Methuselah, who was pretty much the leader there, had died."

Amon gave him a look of confusion. "What's the big deal about that?" he asked.

Nagira laughed. "She was immortal," he said. "But get this. When they checked out her place, they found scorch marks near her empty wheel chair. They say the only way a Methuselah witch can die is by fire."

"So you think Robin killed her," Amon said.

"Bingo. But this is the interesting thing. Lately a stir has risen up in the Walled City about something called the Arcanum of the Craft. They say Methuselah had it. The witches there are pretty much saying that whoever has the Arcanum will be the next leader in the Walled City, but no one's been able to find it."

"So then you think Robin was either given the Arcanum or she took it from Methuselah and then killed her?" Amon asked.

"That would seem to be the most logical answer. But who knows if Robin did it herself. Eternal life can be a burden, and Methuselah witches have been rumored to have the ability to draw out a witch's Craft," Nagira said. He shrugged. "Something you might want to ask her about next time you see her."

"Yeah." Amon stood and left the office. Nagira watched him. The lawyer leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin. Things were getting more interesting. That was for sure. Then again, when his brother was in Japan, his life wasn't boring.

---

It was after dark when Roland pulled his car up to the gate of Walled City. Robin had only been to the witch's haven twice, once during a hunt, and the other time when she had spoken to Methuselah. That had been when she had started seriously considering what Amon had told her. At first, she had thought about telling Roland about him, but for some reason, she thought better of it. Amon hadn't harmed her, and he was making no move toward attacking the STN-J, so she decided to keep him a secret for now.

She was apprehensive as she followed her partner into Walled City. The place always exuded a feeling of mystery and dangerous plots. It made her extremely uncomfortable to even enter the city, and now they were here for another hunt. She followed Roland through the labyrinthine streets and alleys, feeling the gazes of people on her as she passed. She looked around her, seeing people staring at them from their windows.

Seeing that Roland had gotten ahead of her, she sped up to catch him up. After a while of feeling like she was being led in circles by her partner, Roland stopped. "The witch has stopped," he informed her. She pulled out her communicator and drew up her map, which immediately centered on the witch's position.

"We'll come at him from two sides for a pincer attack," Roland informed her. Robin nodded. "You come in from the North, I'll come from the South." Robin nodded again. "Good. Let's get going."

They went their separate ways. Robin kept an eye on her map and followed a course she had plotted out for herself to get to where Roland wanted her. As she went forward, she knew it would be impossible to find her way out. She hadn't considered that it might be exactly what Roland wanted.

---

Amon had no idea why he was going through Robin's mail. Even after he had met her face to face, he had discreetly continued watching her. His excuse was that he was trying to protect her. He didn't know if that excuse could be extended to looking at her mail. Most of the letters were for her roommate anyway. He found a letter addressed to her. The name on the return address was Juliano Colegui.

He opened the letter, scanning it. "Shit," he said once he had finished reading it. It was just as he expected. Father Juliano had ordered her hunt. The thing that surprised him was the Juliano was Robin's grandfather. None of her information had said _that_. The letter was a heartfelt message for his granddaughter. How a man that loved her so much could order her hunt, Amon could only imagine. He folded the letter and returned it to its envelope. Somehow, he had to find Robin.

He decided that his best bet was to start at Harry's and ask Tenchou where she might be.

---

Robin walked slowly through the darkness of the alley in Walled City. She was almost where Roland had ordered her to go. She felt distinctly uncomfortable . . . like something wasn't right. She didn't know why she felt that way. Maybe it had something to do with running through Walled City as the night sky rapidly darkened even more, and the fact that she had lost track of where the exit was a long time ago.

"Robin, are you in position?" Roland asked over her headset.

"Almost," she replied. She quickened her pace, holding her skirt up so she wouldn't trip over it. She ran, wondering how Roland had gotten in position so quickly. "Ugh!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, she felt a stabbing pain in her shoulder and was flung back. She landed hard on the pavement. Sitting up, she coughed, having had the breath knocked out of her. She looked around, trying to see where her attacker was.

She thought she saw the silhouette of a person in the darkness, but she couldn't attack it because she couldn't be sure that it wasn't an innocent. She hurriedly crawled under an alcove. As she moved, she heard a bullet hit the pavement where she just was. She held her shoulder, which protested to the sudden movement with stabbing pain. She was breathing heavily, her green eyes desperately scanning her surroundings. Then she realized something: She was scared. Not just scared, terrified. It was happening just like Amon said it would. She was being hunted.

Holding her shoulder, she rolled quickly from the shelter of the alcove, wincing against the stabbing pain in her shoulder. She got to her feet and ran. She felt a bullet whiz past her head. The shooter was trying to take her down quickly. She turned around quickly as another bullet came her way. Her flame shield came into existence in an attempt to protect her from it, but the bullet was only slowed, not stopped. It hit her hard in the chest, blowing her back again. She cried out in pain as her back hit a wall. Her shoulder was throbbing.

She slowly stood and unsteadily ran, trying desperately to find a place where she could hide. Why was this happening to her? She didn't want to kill anyone! All she had been trying to do was protect her partner. What was so wrong with that?

She rounded a corner, panting. She didn't stop running until her legs felt like they were turning to lead and it was becoming painful to breathe. She slid down a wall until she was sitting. She drew her legs against her chest and put her head between them, trying to catch her breath. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live, to fight back, but how could she when she didn't even know where her attacker was?

She stood up, picking up her communicator. She was about to take a step forward, when she heard footsteps approaching. They sounded like gunshots in her ears. She froze, looking to where she saw the silhouette of a man approaching.

"Robin, why did you run off?" Roland asked as he stepped into a column of flickering light created by a street lamp nearby. He was holding a gun, and it wasn't his Orbo gun. "I wanted to kill you quietly and get it over with, but I suppose you're too clever for me," he said. An odd smile was on his face.

"Why? I thought you were my partner," she croaked.

Roland shook his head sadly. "I was, Robin. But you see, Headquarters is concerned that you're becoming too powerful. Power corrupts. Eventually, you will fall prey to the rapture of your Craft." He sounded like he was repeating words that had been told to him many times before. "I didn't want to do this, but I already watched one partner fall prey to the pleasures of the Craft."

"Then you killed the hunter I replaced?" Robin asked incredulously.

Roland nodded. "I had no other choice, Robin. She was going to expose us. She was stealing our secrets." He paused. "I have no other choice but to hunt you as well. This is why Orbo must succeed. If the project goes the way Administrator Zaizen hopes it will, SOLOMON won't need Craft users."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"Orbo is able to protect hunters from the effects of the Craft. Of course, it can't prevent a Craft user from using telekinesis to throw objects at you, but hunters will still be trained. Eventually, Administrator Zaizen will start testing Orbo on normal humans. You won't need to be a Seed or a Craft user to utilize Orbo. Then, SOLOMON won't have to take risks on Craft users."

"Then what? What happens when SOLOMON doesn't need Craft users?" She was sure she knew what the answer was.

"We'll eliminate witches," Roland answered.

"What about you? You're a Seed," Robin protested.

"Who knows? That's not for me to decide." He leveled his gun at her. "I'm afraid our time to chat is over, Robin. I truly regret having to do this."

He fired. Robin tried to protect herself with her fire shield, but just like the first time she was hit, she was blown back on impact from the bullet. Her back hit a wall and she cried out in pain. Roland was slowly approaching her, the gun trained at her head. Robin closed her eyes. There was only one thing she could do. She couldn't run, and if she didn't do anything, Roland would kill her.

Tears started to leak from her eyes. She didn't want to kill him. She knew her life was at stake, but she didn't want to kill again. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She unleashed her flame at her former partner. He screamed as it encased his body and incinerated him. She opened her eyes. Tears spilled from them freely now. She had been forced to kill again. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to stop herself from trembling.

After five minutes, she stood up unsteadily. She felt extremely weak. She didn't know if she would be able to make it out of Walled City. She took two steps forward, then fell, unconscious.

---

Amon parked his car behind Roland's. He was fortunate that Tenchou had known where the hunt was taking place tonight. The only problem was that Walled City was a maze. Finding Robin was going to be extremely difficult. He knew absolutely nothing about Walled City outside what little his brother had told him. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called Nagira.

"_Otouto?"_ He sounded groggy. The cell phone ringing must have woken him. "What's up?" he asked, sounding slightly more awake.

"_Niisan,_ Robin is somewhere inside the walled city, and she's in trouble," Amon quickly told his brother.

"Shit. That's not good," Nagira cursed. "Finding her will be like finding a needle in a haystack. It's a fucking maze in there. No one knows how to get around in there outside of the witches that live there."

"Great," Amon muttered. "This is a beautiful fucking mess she's gotten herself into. I've got to find her somehow, _Niisan._"

Nagira sighed heavily. "All I can say is go in there and hope you find her," he said. "There's not much even I can do. I don't have a fucking map of the slums, and I can't very well give you directions because I've never been too far in myself."

"Beautiful." Amon sighed as he walked up to the gate and opened it. "If you think of something, you call me," he commanded.

"I will." Nagira sighed. "Good luck, _Otouto_." They hung up and Amon shoved his phone back into his pocket.

He ran down the darkened street, trying to find some hint as to where Robin could be. He tripped. "Fuck!" he shouted. He got to his knees, wiping at the blood that was coming from a cut on his lip. "What the hell?" He picked up a shell casing. "This must be what I slipped on," he said to himself. Holding it between thumb and forefinger, he rose it to his eye level. It was a large casing, made of brass. It was familiar, as it should be. "Damn," he muttered, seeing the wards carved on it. "Witch hunting bullets."

He got to his feet, dropping the shell casing. _She has to be close_, he thought. He examined the area around him and found little spatters of blood. He crouched and touched one. _It's recent_, he thought. He slowly followed them, hoping they would lead him to her, and that when he _did_ find her, he wouldn't be too late.

After what seemed like hours, he found her laying on the ground. He rushed over to her, kneeling beside her, and placing two fingers against he throat, looking for a pulse. When he found one, he almost sighed in relief. He picked her up, finding her to be quite light. She was as insubstantial as she looked.

He carried her back to his car and put her in the back seat. He was going to tend to her himself. SOLOMON checked hospitals, and he was sure they'd be none too pleased to find out Robin was alive.

---

When Robin woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed, wearing an unfamiliar black T-shirt. She tried to sit up, but collapsed against the pillows.

"You shouldn't move." She turned her head to see Amon sitting at her bedside. "I've tended to your wounds," he said softly. "Fortunately, it wasn't anything too serious. The bullets had both exited cleanly without damaging anything. You're lucky."

Robin didn't reply. He'd obviously had to undress her. She knew she was still wearing her bra and panties, although her mind told her that it was absurd to think that he would do anything to her, especially when she was so vulnerable. "Where am I?" she finally asked.

"My hotel room," Amon replied. He stood up. "You might be weak for a while, but it will pass. Would you like some water?" he asked.

Robin nodded, suddenly realizing that her throat felt like sandpaper. Amon went into the bathroom and returned a moment later with a plastic cup filled with water. Robin gratefully drank it down in three gulps. "Thank you," she said. Amon nodded in response and reclaimed his chair next to the bed.

Robin closed her eyes. "Amon. You were right. About everything."

"My instincts rarely deceive me," the hunter replied, leaning back in his chair. "You're fortunate that I was able to find you," he said. "I don't know what would have happened, had I arrived later."

"H-how did you know?" she asked. Amon pulled something out of his inner coat pocket and handed it to her. "A letter?" She looked up at him, eyes wide in shock. "You went through my _mail?"_ she asked.

"Yes. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have known to come looking for you." He paused. "Read it," he commanded.

She opened the letter and read it, her eyes widening as she did so. "Father . . ." She closed her eyes. "No one seems to have faith in me," she said, hands releasing the letter and allowing it to drop to the bed.

"I do," Amon told her.

"But you barely know me," she said, opening her eyes to look at him.

"I know everything that's important," he told her. "I may not know much about you from interaction, but just from observing you, I know the kind of person you are." He leaned forward, gently touching her arm. "I know that you wouldn't _ever_ desire to kill anyone."

Robin closed her eyes, feeling tears of frustration come to them. "Yet I seem to end up doing it out of necessity," she said bitterly. "Roland . . . he was the one who hunted me. I had no choice. I feel so helpless."

"Robin, I want to help you," Amon said, retracting his hand and leaning back in his chair. The weight of her dilemma seemed to fall on his shoulders as he did so. He seemed tired.

Robin sighed. "You're the only one I can trust right now," she said. "I can't go back to STN-J. I know my friends will want to protect me, but they can't." She shook her head in frustration. "The only thing I can do is join you and hope that I can run from SOLOMON." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Aren't I putting you in danger by being with you?" she asked apprehensively.

"I can handle it," Amon replied. "They tried sending hunters after me too, you know," he said with a small shake of his head. "After I had killed five of them, they had decided it was useless. Besides, as far as they know, you're dead."

Robin tittered. "But won't they get suspicious when they don't hear from Roland?"

"Probably. By then, you'll be out of Japan." He had already started formulating a plan. "They won't know that you're with me. Not right away, if ever."

"I don't want to be locked up somewhere," Robin protested.

"You won't have to be. Frankly, I don't care if they spot you with me. If they send hunters after you, we'll take care of it. Eventually, they might give up."

"I don't think so," Robin said nervously. "You're a minor annoyance to them, right?" Amon hesitated, then nodded. He didn't really want to think of himself that way, but it was true. "In my case, I'm a danger. I'm a hunter that betrayed them." She paused. "I have information about them."

Amon leaned forward, resting his chin on the tops of his hands. "It still serves my purpose for them to send hunters after you," he pointed out.

"I suppose," Robin said glumly.

"You should rest. We'll think about the specifics of things later.

Robin nodded. Her eyelids felt heavy. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

---

A/N: Well, I hope you all liked this installment. I don't expect to be needing to revise this anytime soon. laughs unless it's for grammar/spelling problems, which seem to slip past me somehow. Maybe I'll get a beta soon. Anyway, I don't think there's any new Japanese in this chapter. O.o

Q&A

Amon's Angel of the Darkness - Woah...question overload . Hopefully, I won't miss anything. The glasses. I tried to think of a way to incorporate that, but I just couldn't think of something, and I've revised so much already X.x As for STN-J trying to find out more about him . . . they might not even notice him sitting alone there in the corner, and even if they did, they might just think he has nothing better to do than waste time at Harry's XD A Mary Sue is...an original character that is almost always modeled after the author, always overshadows the canon characters, and usually ends up falling in love with them. Roland is a pretty minor character, as you've seen by now, having been burninated by Robin. NanNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to get 50,000 words in a month. Yes, it's as hard as it sounds . especially when writer's block strikes. X.x

Lara1786 - I am a hopeless Amon/Robin shipper, so yes, you can expect to see some Amon/Robin lurve later XD

Amonymous - I liked that idea about Amon intercepting the letter, so I used it. Amon was just basing his opinions about SOLOMON wanting to hunt Robin on his past experience with the organization. Naturally, he's a little biased, but his instincts on the matter proved to be correct, ne?

black-capped conure - Hmm . . . since I _knew_ Robin wouldn't report him, I didn't think about that. Was it this chapter or three that I stuck in a tiny explanation in? I think it was the revised edition of chapter three. Thanks for bringing that up.


	5. Protection

**Chapter Five - Protection**

When Robin awoke, she was momentarily confused and disoriented. Where was she? Who's T-shirt was she wearing? Then she remembered that she was in Amon's hotel room. She looked around. Amon was nowhere to be seen. Then she heard the shower in the bathroom. She sat up, holding the blanket to her chest out of habit. Blinking groggily, she tried to wake herself up more. Her shoulder gave a throb of protest at the movement and he winced against the sudden pain.

She heard the water turn off and thought longingly of taking a bath. She heard movement in the bathroom and water from the sink being turned on. She lay back down slowly and settled against the pillows. She wasn't sure what to do until Amon got out, so she just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

Finally, the bathroom door opened. Amon, clad only in a towel, was walking out, toweling his face with one of the hotel's white hand towels.

Robin's eyes widened as she watched him walk into the room. She snapped her eyes closed, hoping Amon hadn't seen that she was awake. She feigned sleep while she listened to Amon gathering his clothes together. It had just registered in her brain that she had seen him half-naked. Not that she hadn't liked what she saw . . . she mentally slapped herself for having immodest thoughts.

"You can open your eyes now," Amon said after a moment. Robin opened her eyes, sitting up. She felt her cheeks flush as she looked at him, now fully dressed. "I should have dressed in the bathroom," he said semi-apologetically.

"Um . . . it's okay," Robin replied nervously.

"You should get cleaned up," he suggested.

Robin nodded and got out of bed. Without saying anything, she quickly went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She leaned against it, closing her eyes. Her face must have been completely red. She thought she had detected a hint of amusement in his voice. She sighed. It wasn't like he had intended for her to see him wearing only a towel.

She ran her bath water, and once the tub was full, she slid in, submersing herself in the water. She tried to banish thoughts of Amon half naked as she bathed.

---

Amon smirked as he watched the bathroom door close. He hadn't intended for Robin to see him like that. He honestly thought she'd be asleep when he finished showering. It was only 7:30, and Amon had learned that the fifteen year old girl liked her sleep when he was stalking her. Then again, it had been fairly early when she fell asleep the night before.

He headed over to the chair that he had set beside the bed and sat down in it, grabbing his cell phone off the bedside table. It was time for him to check in with his brother. "_Niisan_," he commanded. The phone dialed up his brother's number as Amon held the device to his ear. He listened to Nagira's phone ring. Finally, after the fourth ring, his brother answered.

"_Otouto_, how many times do I have to remind you that I don't get up as early as you?" he said groggily. Amon smirked.

"Maybe you should. I had actually awoken an hour ago, but I wanted to wait until Robin had awoken before I called you." He heard cloth rustling in the background. His brother must have slept at his apartment for once.

"She okay?" Nagira grunted.

"A few bumps and bruises, but otherwise, yes. She had been shot a few times by witch hunting bullets, but a good night's sleep has seemed to do her good," Amon replied. "We're going to pick up some breakfast once she's done bathing. Then we'll stop by at your place. We're going to have to make arrangements to leave Japan fairly quickly."

Nagira yawned. "So you going to check out? You guys can stay here for a couple'a days if you need to."

"That would probably be better than staying here, where there's only one bed. I'm still sore from sleeping in the chair." He heard his brother chuckle on the other end. "Well, I couldn't make her sleep on the floor," Amon grumbled.

"At any rate, give me about an hour to shower and dress and stuff, and I'll meet you at the office," Nagira said.

"All right," Amon agreed. With that, he and Nagira hung up. Amon placed the cell phone back on the bedside table. Shortly after that, Robin emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was down and she was wearing his black T-shirt, reminding him very much of when he saw her at her apartment. He stood and picked up her dress. "I had this laundered while you were sleeping," he told her, walking over to her so he could give it to her.

"Thank you," Robin replied with a small bow of her head. She took the garment into the bathroom so she could change into it. Once she had dressed, she emerged again. This time, her hair was in its normal style.

Amon was putting his equipment away as she wandered into the room and sat on the bed. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

Just the thought of food made her stomach growl. Her cheeks flushed pink. "Yes," she replied, sounding embarrassed.

"We'll get breakfast then," he said as he zipped up his laptop's carrying case. He faced the girl sitting on the bed. "We had better avoid Harry's though," he said thoughtfully.

"I suppose," Robin said sadly.

Amon slowly shook his head. "We can't have any of the members of STN-J seeing you," he reproached gently.

Robin sighed. "I know," she said. "It's just–I'll miss them," she finished, ducking her head.

Amon didn't quite know how to respond to that. He wasn't used to communicating with anyone but his brother, let alone a fifteen year-old girl who was suddenly ripped away from her life. "I'm sorry," he said at last, for lack of anything better to say. He gathered his bags together. "Once we've eaten, we can stop by your apartment and you can get anything you'll need," he said after a moment's pause.

Robin nodded and stood, following him to the door. They stepped out of the room into the hallway with its lush red carpet and cream-coloured walls. Amon made sure the door was closed securely behind them, then made his way down the hall, walking so quickly that Robin had to trot to keep up with him.

"Um . . . Amon?" Robin said uncertainly.

"Hm?" the hunter replied.

"Um . . . could you slow down a little?" she requested. Amon glanced back at her, but he complied. He stopped for a moment to allow her to catch him up. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Don't apologize," he said as he started walking again, but more slowly this time. "I'm not used to being with other people," he admitted.

Robin tittered. "I see."

As Amon walked beside her, he watched her from the corner of his eye. She was walking demurely with her hands folded in front of her, head slightly bowed. Her verdant eyes seemed to be focused on the carpet with its intricate designs and patterns. He had a feeling that it wasn't the carpet she was really looking at though. "You're still uncomfortable with me," he observed.

Robin's head lifted so she could look at him. "I suppose," she said. "I'm still not entirely certain that I can trust you," she admitted.

"I can understand that," Amon said as they stopped in front of the elevator. He pressed the down button and waited for a car to arrive. "It must seem pretty convenient that I said you would be hunted and you were," he elaborated.

Robin nodded, but didn't say anything. They heard a _ding_ and the elevator doors slid open. Robin and Amon boarded the car. "How do you know so much about SOLOMON without being one of its agents?" she questioned as the doors closed them into the car.

Amon leaned against the railing, holding it loosely with one hand. "I've been studying them for many years," he replied."Ten to be more precise," he said after a moment's thought. "My older brother has good informants, and I've been able to do a little research on my own."

Robin nodded, but again remained silent, seemingly turning the information around in her head. Amon remained silent while she thought. "It must have been hard to find a lot of information," she said at last.

"It was . . . difficult," Amon replied as the elevator doors slid open again. They stepped into the lobby of the hotel, which was already bustling with activity. People were checking out, bellhops were helping guests with their bags, and still more people were checking in.

Robin watched the people move around with detached interest as she followed Amon to the front desk.

"I trust you enjoyed you stay?" the clerk asked as Amon turned in his keycard. The hunter simply nodded. "Thank you. Please come again." The clerk bowed, and Amon returned it with a simple nod of his head.

"Come on," he said to Robin. The girl looked up at him and followed him outside. He gave a ticket to a valet and stood silently as he went to retrieve Amon's vehicle.

Robin stood silently beside him, watching cars driving by on the street. The black BMW stopped in front of them, and the valet got out. Amon gave him a tip and opened the passenger side door for Robin, who thanked him and got in.

Amon pulled away from the curb, and without looking away from the road asked, "If you can't be certain that you trust me completely, why didn't you tell the STN-J about me?"

Robin thought about that for a moment, staring out the windshield. "I didn't know if I could trust you, but you hadn't hurt me, or even really attempted to," she replied after a long moment's thought. "At least for the moment, you weren't dangerous," she elaborated. Amon nodded. Robin looked down at her hands as she folded them in her lap. "Why . . . did you want me to join you?" she asked hesitantly.

_Why indeed?_ Amon thought. He remained silent as he considered the answer. He wasn't entirely sure there _was_ an answer, or if there was, that he could articulate it well. "I didn't want them to corrupt you," he said at last. He wasn't sure if that was really it, but it was close enough to the abstract reason in his mind.

Robin knew he was talking about SOLOMON. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, unsure of what to say to that. She finally decided that there wasn't anything she could say. She knew he knew her. He had never talked to her before that encounter in the living room of her apartment, but he had observed her going about her day, completely oblivious to him. Not knowing exactly what he had observed her doing made her feel uncomfortable.

---

Hanamura Mika looked up when the door opened and frowned in distaste as Amon strode in with a girl following him. She didn't like that good-for-nothing brother of Nagira's. Then again, good-for-nothingness seemed to run in the family. With Amon in Japan, it seemed that Nagira preferred to hang out with his brother rather than work.

"Yo," Nagira greeted as Amon and the girl approached his desk. Mika leaned over to peer at him from behind her computer. As usual, the big, brown-haired man was reclining in his chair, feet propped on his desk, cigarette dangling from his lips. It moved when he spoke.

Nagira took his feet off the desk and stood up, looking at the girl. "So _this_ is Robin, eh?" he asked, looking at her appraisingly. Amon nodded. Robin simply looked at him, seemingly making her own appraisal of him. Mika sighed and straightened in her chair, returning to work.

"I'm Nagira Syunji," he introduced, sticking out his hand. Robin looked at the proffered hand for a moment before lightly grasping it.

"I thought you don't shake hands in Japan," she commented softly.

Nagira grinned. "We don't, but you don't come from Japan," Nagira observed. "Or do you?" he asked with a small chuckle.

"I was born here," Robin replied. "I grew up in Italy."

Nagira nodded. "I know. You guys are much more physical than handshakes there, ne?" Nagira commented with a laugh. Robin blushed faintly as Nagira took his seat again. He glanced at his brother. "Why don't we go have a seat, _Otouto?_ We've got quite a bit to discuss, ne?"

Robin looked between Amon and Nagira in confusion. "You're brothers?" she questioned.

Nagira laughed. "Half-brothers," he corrected as they moved to a couch and two chairs situated before a coffee table. Nagira gestured for Robin to sit on the couch. She complied, sitting and folding her hands in her lap. Amon sat down beside her, and Nagira sat across from them in one of the chairs. "He and I have been working together so to speak for quite a few years now." He took his cigarette out of his mouth and flicked the ashes accumulating at the end into his ashtray. "Want one?" he asked, addressing the question to his younger brother.

"No thanks," he replied.

"Huh." Nagira shook his head slightly. "Anyway, first order of business. You guys are going to stay here until I can arrange to get you out of Japan, right?" he asked. Amon nodded. "Okay. I've got places arranged for you guys to sleep. It isn't much, but it'll do for now, ne?" He laughed. "Do you want me to book you two rooms?"

Amon shook his head. "No. One room, two beds. I do not think it would be safe for Robin to stay in a different room."

"Why not? SOLOMON doesn't know the kid's with you," Nagira remarked. He took a huge drag from his cigarette. Robin merely looked between the two brothers without offering her own comments. They didn't look anything alike. Then again, that probably had to do with their being half-brothers.

"Still," Amon muttered. "I'd like to be able to keep an eye on her."

Nagira shook his head with a smile. "Whatever. I'll do that then. I haven't got any leads for you other than Sastre. Want to hold off on him for a while? He's a pretty big fish if you know what I mean," Nagira commented, snubbing the remains of his cigarette in the ashtray in the middle of the coffee table.

The mention of Sastre's name snapped Robin to full attention. Of course. She should have known he would be a potential target for Amon.

Amon nodded. "Yeah." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully."Any other leads?" he inquired.

Nagira shook his head as he fished around in his breast pocket for his pack of cigarettes. Once he found it, he took one out. "Want one?" he asked, offering them to Robin. The girl shook her head and Amon glared at him.

"Oh, no. I don't smoke," Robin said.

"As Nagira should have known," Amon said sourly.

Nagira flipped the lid on his lighter and lit his cigarette. "Just figured I'd ask," the lawyer said, blowing smoke from his nose. He put his lighter back in the breast pocket of his suit jacket. "So you're just going to go about your business as usual, huh? You're not taking Robin into hiding?" Amon shook his head. Nagira let out a short laugh that didn't sound very amused. "C'mon, _Otouto._ You're not alone anymore. You can risk your own life as much as you want, being the arrogant bastard that you are. Eventually, SOLOMON is going to spot her with you, and they'll send hunters after you when they do," he said angrily. Before Amon could say anything, his brother continued. "I don't care if that fucking serves your purpose. By going and saving Robin, or even asking her to join you in the first place, you took responsibility for her."

Robin glanced at her companion, who was frowning in such a way as to say "You can't tell me what to do." Nagira had leaned back, crossing his arms over his broad chest, silently puffing on his cigarette in a manner that reminded Robin of a steam engine. The brothers seemed to be having a staring contest or a contest of wills. She desperately hoped they wouldn't drag her into this because she didn't know where she stood.

Suddenly, both brothers simultaneously proclaimed, "Let's ask Robin."

Robin shrank into the leather cushion of the couch as the two brothers fixed her with grey-eyed stares. She fidgeted uncomfortably as she desperately tried to think of something to say.

Finally, she sighed heavily, her shoulders dropping as she did. "I don't like either option," she told them, her voice sounding small. Nagira looked bewildered, as though he were sure she would agree with him. Amon looked as though he understood. She sighed again, fixing Nagira with a pointed stare. "I don't want to be locked away," she said, repeating the words she had said to Amon the night before. "Even if it means being safe. I don't want to trade my freedom for my life." She looked down at her hands, which were twisting the fabric of her skirt. Then she looked at Amon. "I don't want to participate in your hunts either."

"I know. I didn't expect you to." Robin and Nagira both looked surprised by this revelation. Amon leaned back in his chair. "I chose this. You did not. You joined me out of necessity, not because you believe in what I am doing. Not even I think that what I'm doing is exactly the right thing to do. I can't expect you to join me in my vendetta against SOLOMON because I know you don't believe in it." Robin was completely at a loss for words. She didn't know what she expected, but it hadn't been _this_. "All I expect of you is that should you ever be in danger, you will protect yourself and fight back because I can guarantee you that from this point on, anyone who attacks you is doing so with the intention to kill you."

"I—I understand," the girl said at last, still a little surprised by what Amon had just said. Although she didn't want to believe him, the logical part of her brain knew he was right. From this point on, she was an enemy of SOLOMON, and SOLOMON wasn't a good enemy to have. She knew that although they didn't know that she was with Amon _now_, they would eventually figure it out.

Nagira leaned forward and silently flicked the ashes accumulating at the end of his cigarette into the ashtray before they fell on his expensive suit. "Okay," he said slowly as Robin and Amon looked at each other. "So that leaves us back at square one." He sighed. "I guess I'll go find you a lead." He absently rubbed at one of his sideburns before calling out, "Hana-chan."

The secretary leaned over and looked at him around her computer monitor. "Yes?" she asked.

"Show Robin and Amon where they can stay. I'm going out." He stood up and crushed his cigarette in the ashtray before standing and going over to his desk to grab his furry coat from the back of the chair and shrugged into it. Mika blinked as Nagira headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Nagira didn't answer. He just breezed out the door. Mika sighed and stood up, eyeing the people standing by the desk critically. "Follow me," she said with an exasperated sigh.

---

Robin stood outside the apartment she had shared with Touko. Amon was two steps below her, gazing out at the hallway behind them with sharp eyes. They both knew it was risky coming back to the apartment. Amon was sure that despite it being less than a day since Robin had escaped death at the hands of Roland in Walled City, that SOLOMON would already be staking the place out, and it was possible they could be attacked.

Robin hesitated as she brought her key up to the lock, but with resolve, inserted it and turned it to unlock the door. She stepped inside, not sure whether or not she should remove her boots. As if to tell her not to bother, Amon stepped inside the apartment ahead of her. She knew he was thinking that if they _were_ by some chance, attacked, they couldn't be pausing at the door to put their shoes on.

Robin followed the dark man inside. "Go get your things. Quickly," Amon said shortly, his grey eyes roaming around the room as though he was looking for people hiding behind corners. Robin nodded and headed down the hall to her bedroom.

The bed was neatly made, as it had been two days ago, when Robin had gone to work, completely unaware of what would happen that evening. She could smell the faint aroma of coffee that lingered in the air. She ventured slowly into her room, gazing around it cautiously. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She sighed and went to her closet, where several black dresses that were identical to the ones she was wearing were hanging. She quickly took her suitcase out and laid it out on the bed. She quickly folded her dresses and packed them. She also went to the chest of drawers in the room and packed her socks and underwear. Once she had completed that, she quickly went to the bathroom and gathered her things there, adding them to the things in her suitcase.

Once she was finished, she closed the suitcase and headed out to the living room, where Amon was waiting.

She had just ventured into the hallway when she heard the sound of shattering glass. "Robin! Stay there!" Amon called from the living room. She couldn't see him from where she was standing. He must have taken cover. She quickly pressed her back to the wall. She could see men dressed in black entering the room from the balcony. There were six of them, all armed with guns. Amon's hunch had been right. SOLOMON had indeed been staking out the apartment.

The men ventured inside, sweeping their guns in a wide arc, searching for targets. She heard a gunshot and one of the men recoiled as though he had been hit. She knew that had been Amon. The rest of the men pointed their guns in the direction of the shot and began firing. She winced against the sounds of the gunshots.

While they were occupied with trying to shoot Amon, Robin dashed into the kitchen, hiding behind a counter. They had to subdue the attackers. Amon rolled into the kitchen behind the same counter that Robin was crouched behind. "Can you do this?" he asked, his grey eyes probing her face. She nodded.

Amon placed his hand on the floor and Robin saw frost crystals extending from it toward the men in the living room. At first, Robin wondered what he was doing, until she saw that ice was spreading from the frost crystals. He was icing the floor over so if the men moved, they would slip on it. The gunfire had abruptly stopped. Robin slowly leaned over, peering around the corner of the counter. One of the attackers was pointing at the ice spreading on the floor.

Robin frowned, wondering what they would do. She resumed her position behind the counter, glancing at Amon, who nodded to her, telling her that she could attack. She leaned out again, sending her flame in front of the one that appeared to be the leader. He took a startled step back, slipping on the ice that had formed beneath his feet. Robin didn't want to kill any of them if she could help it. She didn't know what Amon was going to do.

Some of the men were leaning over, trying to help their fallen comrade up. When they stood, they were met with ice shards flying toward them. They screamed as the shards flew straight through their armour and fell. The three remaining men desperately shot at their hiding place, forcing both Robin and Amon to hide behind the barrier between them.

"Robin. I understand that you don't want to kill them," Amon said, his voice soft enough that only she could hear it, "but this is a matter of life and death." Robin swallowed hard and nodded.

Once the gunfire had died down again, she leaned out from her hiding place, fixing her gaze on one of the attackers. She found the center of her Craft and the flames enveloped him. When they were gone, so was he. He had been completely incinerated. She flew back behind he counter, slamming her back against it, eyes wide with shock. Amon was too busy taking out the other shooters to notice.

Robin heard two muted thuds as the remaining SOLOMON agents fell to the floor. He glanced at Robin, who turned to look at him, closing her mouth. "I have to admit that your powers are impressive," the hunter commented. "I wasn't aware that you possessed that kind of power."

"Neither was I," Robin replied.

"What?" Amon sounded vaguely concerned.

"That power was something different than my own," she said vaguely. "I hadn't meant to send that much power out." She thought of the Arcanum of the Craft and her eyes widened again. "The secrets!" she exclaimed softly, reaching into the pocket of her overcoat and pulling it out. Amon was watching her silently as though he was willing her to tell him what was going on. "This is the deepest knowledge of the Craft that was given to my by a witch called Methuselah," she explained to him. "It's the secrets of the Craft."

"The secrets of the Craft?" Amon repeated. "So this is what SOLOMON wanted," he said, shaking his head slowly. "Do you think that SOLOMON may have hunted you because of this?" he asked her.

Robin shook her head slowly. "No . . . I'll explain later. We should leave," she told him. Amon nodded and stood, helping Robin to stand. She put the Arcanum back in her coat pocket and went back to the hallway to retrieve her suitcase. She placed her key on the kitchen counter. Most of the contents of the living room had been smashed up in the fight.

Amon was waiting for her at the door, and once she finished looking around the apartment one last time, she joined him, following him out into the hall and to the elevator.

---

"Are you comfortable with this?" Amon asked as they got into the car. The birds chirped merrily, without a single care in the world. Robin leaned back in her seat warily.

"Yes," she replied, knowing that he was talking about their whole situation. "This is the second time you've helped me," she told him. She tittered. "Although trouble seems to follow you around."

"It does seem to," he agreed as he started the car. He pulled out and drove toward Nagira's office. "I'm glad that you didn't trust me right away, and even that you still don't trust me to some degree," he told her suddenly. "It's . . . reassuring I guess you could say."

"Reassuring that I don't trust everyone?" Robin queried. Amon nodded without looking at her. She sighed softly. "I suppose I _can_ be too trusting," she admitted quietly.

"You're young and naive. I wouldn't expect you to be so cynical that you wouldn't trust _anyone_. I suppose that's my job." He stopped the car at a stop sign and looked at her critically. She turned to face him. "Robin. It may sound as though I don't care about your welfare, but Nagira was right. The moment I helped you, I took responsibility for you." Robin blinked at him, not certain of what to say to that. "Know that I would never put you in danger. I would never use you as bait to get hunters to come after us," he told her.

"Is–is that what Nagira thought you would do?" she asked, taken aback.

"Something like that," he told her, turning to look out the windshield again and resuming driving.

---

Nagira was still out when Amon and Robin returned to the office. Mika seemed to be running some kind of errand, and Nagira's other assistant was nowhere to be seen, leaving the two of them alone in the office. Amon seated himself in the chair his brother had occupied about an hour ago, and Robin sat on the couch once again.

"Tell me why SOLOMON would not hunt you because of the Arcanum," he told her, cutting straight to the chase.

Robin looked down at her hands, which she had rested in her lap. "Because they had sent me to retrieve it for them," she replied. She didn't look up to see Amon's reaction. "The hunting job with STN-J was just a cover," she explained. "I was to retrieve the Arcanum and give it to a contact who would take it back to headquarters."

"Did they tell you anything about it?" Amon questioned. Robin shook her head. "I see. So then, other than being all the wisdom of the Craft, you know nothing about it." Robin nodded.

"All I know is that if SOLOMON had wanted it so badly, it must have been important," Robin concluded. Amon nodded.

"So then, what do you intend to do with it? Are you going to take it with you while we travel?" he inquired.

"I'm not sure," the girl replied uncertainly. "It seems as though it would be safer with me," she started. Amon shook his head slowly, thoughtfully. "Huh?"

"It may be safer in your possession than if we just left it somewhere," he agreed. "However, it seems to have amplified your Craft. If you cannot control this increase in power, it could be dangerous." Here he fixed her with a pointed stare. "For both of us."

"What should I do then?" Robin inquired. Amon did not answer immediately. The girl suspected that he wasn't sure himself. She was certain that he would not want to hold onto it himself, for fear of it amplifying his own powers.

"I don't know," he admitted after thinking about it for a few minutes. "I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it unattended while we travel, nor do I feel comfortable with you carrying it. There has to be some kind of middle ground." He shook his head. "And we may be putting Nagira in danger if we leave it with him, especially if SOLOMON is looking for it." Robin nodded in agreement here. If they left it with Nagira, and SOLOMON attacked him because of it, she would never be able to forgive herself. Finally, Amon sighed, standing. "I suppose since Methuselah entrusted it to you, you must decide what to do with it."

Robin frowned thoughtfully. In other words, Amon didn't know what to do and didn't want to be held responsible. She looked at the piece of wood in her hand. What made it so special? How was it that it contained thousands of years' worth of Craft knowledge? "I need to think about it," she told Amon, looking up at him, her eyes meeting his. The hunter nodded and left the office, leaving her completely alone.

---

Robin had been sleeping soundly, curled comfortably under her warm blanket, head snuggled into the soft pillow. She slept soundly despite the rays of sun that were beginning to creep into the room. It was after all, early in the morning and she very much enjoyed her sleep like any girl her age. She didn't awaken when the door to her room opened.

"Robin," Amon's voice called. The girl stirred a little, but did not fully awaken. "Robin," Amon called again, slightly louder this time. Robin's green eyes fluttered open. "Are you awake now?" her companion asked.

"Yes," her voice filtered down to him from the platform where her bed rested. Amon was standing at the door, hand on the knob. "What is it?" she asked, sitting up. She held her blanket to her chest. She normally slept in the nude, and despite Amon being there, she had decided that she was most comfortable that way when she slept. She didn't know what she would do when they were staying in a hotel room together, but she had decided that she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

"Nagira has a lead for us," the hunter replied, not moving. He looked up even though he couldn't see the girl from where he was standing. "Get dressed and come down. We've got breakfast. Nagira will brief us."

"Alright," the girl replied. She waited until she heard the door close before climbing out of bed. She quickly cleaned up and got dressed, putting her hair into their familiar twin pigtails before leaving the room and going down to where Amon and Nagira were already conversing. She didn't pay attention to Mika, who was staring at her, as she passed by.

"Hope you don't mind coffee and doughnuts, kid," Nagira said as he held up the box of doughnuts, which he and Amon had obviously already picked at, as was apparent by the missing doughnuts.

"Not at all," Robin replied, sitting down next to Amon. She took a doughnut and accepted a cup of coffee. She noted as she took a bite of her doughnut that the lawyer was tapping a finger on a manilla envelope. She assumed that it contained information about the hunter that Amon was going to pursue. He was drinking down the last bit of his coffee. The lawyer put his cup down on the desk and picked up the envelope.

"Well, let's get started," he suggested. Amon nodded. Robin noted that he wasn't eating or drinking. He nodded. Nagira opened the folder and pulled out a black and white photo of a man who was in his late forties or early fifties. Despite his age, it seemed that his hair was still mostly black. He had a thin, neatly trimmed moustache, which was mostly black. His face looked rather severe, like he rarely smiled.

"His name is Alberto Octavio. He's a Spanish hunter, so yeah, you'll be going to Spain," he responded to Amon's questioning look. "Before I tell you where he is, let me finish giving you his details. He's 47 years old and is a master Hunter within SOLOMON. My contacts have managed to get a very detailed biography on him. He has the ability to crush objects or people with his Craft, so you'll want to watch out for that." He took out some papers and handed them to Amon for him to look at. "You'll want to go in for a swift kill I think, but you're the tactician," Nagira laughed.

Amon spent a moment glancing at the papers that his brother had given him. "So where is he?" he asked, looking up at Nagira. Robin was silently observing. The way Nagira briefed Amon sounded much like the briefings she had received about witches when she was with the STN-J. She had actually figured that Amon would be this professional about his hunts.

"Valencia," his brother replied. Amon nodded. Robin guessed that he had been there before. "Maybe you should show Robin around a bit," he suggested jokingly. "Anyway, all the other information is in those papers. You have 37,000 Euros in your account, so you can afford to be as extravagant as you like." The lawyer leaned back in his chair, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "How long do you want to stay in Spain? I mean, I can probably find you enough targets to keep you there for a couple of months."

Amon thought it over for about a minute. "That would be preferable," he concluded. "The less we have to move around, the better." He glanced at Robin, who hadn't spoken since Nagira started briefing them. In a way, he knew it would be more dangerous if they stayed in Spain rather than moving around a lot, especially considering the amount of hunters in the country, but it seemed easier to keep a low profile if they didn't move around a lot. After a few moments of just watching her, he turned back to his brother. "If you can find us a place to stay for a few months, that would probably be best."

Nagira nodded. "Will do. Want another M5?" Despite it being too early for smoking (or at least Amon thought it was), Nagira took out a cigarette and lit up as he made notes on a legal pad. "Okay, so I'll find you guys an apartment and get you a car." Amon nodded in satisfaction.

---

The moon shone brightly through the window in Robin's room. The girl was seated on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest, head resting on them. In her right hand, she held the Arcanum of the Craft. Her green eyes gazed at it blankly without even really seeing it. She was lost in thought, considering what had happened earlier that afternoon at her apartment with the SOLOMON strike force. It was as though her mind had recorded that moment when she completely incinerated one of the men.

She shivered at the recollection, but that seemed to be her only reaction. Somehow, the Arcanum was effecting her powers. She didn't know what it really was or what she should do with it. Amon was right. If she kept the Arcanum, it would increase the chances of her powers slipping completely out of control, but she didn't know what to do.

Robin placed the Arcanum next to her on the bed, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face in her knees. She shouldn't have the Arcanum with her, Amon didn't want it, and she didn't know what would happen if she left it with Nagira. Although the girl knew very little about the piece of wood, and even less about the witch she had obtained it from, she knew it was very important and that it could not be allowed to fall into SOLOMON's hands. She didn't know what they would do with it, but she was certain that it wouldn't be good.

After all, if Amon was telling the truth, they were aiming at the genocide of all witches. With the arcanum, they might be able to do it, but what she didn't understand is how they meant to use it. They would have to give it to a Craft user. Maybe they intended to destroy it. If that was the case, Robin could not allow them to destroy thousands of years' worth of Craft knowledge.

The question she had to ask herself was what risk was she willing to take? Would she prefer that her powers spiraled out of control, but the Arcanum was kept out of SOLOMON's hands? Or would she prefer to entrust it to Nagira despite the possibility that SOLOMON may find that he had it in his possession?

She fell sideways so she was laying on her side on the bed. She stretched out a little, bringing a hand to her forehead and slowly closing her eyes. It was an extremely difficult decision and Amon had all but told her that it was hers to make. She rolled over so she was laying on her stomach with her legs dangling from the edge of the bed. She rested her chin on her arms, opening her eyes and staring at the blank wall in front of her.

Should her own life and possible Amon's take precedence over the knowledge of the Craft? She wanted to believe that it should. A human life was still worth more than all the knowledge in the world. Besides, she thought she and Amon had to have come together for a reason.

She thought of her dark companion. They were completely different from one another. He was cold and unemotional, whereas she felt as though everything she did was driven by her feelings and emotions. Even if she didn't wear her heart on her sleeve, she was a very passionate person. She knew she and Amon agreed on one thing: that SOLOMON was dangerous. Whereas he was fighting them in his own way, what was she doing? _Moping around in her room, unable to make a single decision_, her brain answered.

Slowly, she got up and took the Arcanum in her hand. She looked at it carefully, as though memorizing what it looked like. She would give it to Nagira for safe-keeping, she concluded. It was important, but either way, there was high risk of SOLOMON finding it. Besides, it was better for her not to have it with her. She was afraid of what she could do with such power. Nodding to herself as if to reaffirm her decision, she walked out of her room.

---

Nagira's office was dark as Robin quietly entered. She wondered if the lawyer was still there. She saw Amon laying on the couch, seemingly staring at the ceiling. He had turned his head to look at her when she entered. "You have to sleep on the couch?" she asked.

He sat up, revealing that he was wearing a black T-shirt instead of the clothes she was used to seeing him in. "I don't mind," he told her. "What is it?"

Robin entered the room more fully. "I've decided to ask Nagira to keep it," she said softly. Amon nodded as though he had expected this response.

"I think it's for the better," he agreed. "You'll have to wait until morning though. Nagira has gone home for the night." His voice was uncharacteristically soft, like someone was sleeping, and he was trying not to wake them. Robin nodded. "Go get some sleep. We've got a long flight ahead of us," the hunter suggested.

"Okay," Robin agreed. She slowly left the office, the creaking of leather telling her that Amon was laying down again. She paused at the door, looking back at him as he settled on the couch. He didn't seem to notice her watching him, but she didn't linger too long. She softly closed the door behind her and went back up to her room, suddenly feeling very tired.

---

A/N: I think this chapter is a little more exciting than it was to begin with. Just a little. Okay, a lot. Yeah. Let's see...only one review here on from chapter four...so not many questions to answer...and no questions from the Harry's-goers. So yeah. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'm sorry if the end seems a little rushed. My brain is fried from _something_, I swear. Must write...more. I'm already churning out chapter six, and hopefully things will start to get more interesting with more hunts and stuff. So yeah.


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